Three Bangladeshis Rescued in Shevgaon, Maharashtra

The three victims

On February 17, 2026, we received intel about a Bangladeshi victim being sexually exploited at a lodge in Shevgaon, Maharashtra. On February 18, our team traveled to Shevgaon to verify the lead. After verifying the lead, our team set out to meet Ahilyanagar’s Superintendent of Police (SP) to request that the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) initiate a rescue operation.

Outside the lodge

On February 19, we spent the entire day waiting to meet the SP in his office. He finally met with us late that evening, and we discussed the possibility of a rescue operation on February 20. The next day, the police and our team set out to rescue the victim. When we arrived, the lodge was closed. We continued surveilling the lodge, but it was closed for the following days. 

On March 1, we received intel that the victim had been seen at the lodge again. The next day, we verified that the victim was still at the lodge. 

On March 3, we scheduled an appointment to meet the SP. We met him later that day and discussed the urgency of conducting a rescue before the victim was moved to another location. The next day, after receiving permission, our rescue team and the AHTU discussed our rescue strategy. 

During the raid

On March 5, at 4:00 p.m., the police and our team raided the lodge. The lodge included four compact rooms, each with a bed, a table, a fan, and attached, filthy restrooms. We found and rescued three victims from the lodge. The police arrested the hotel manager and another person who was with him. Three individuals tried to escape from the first floor; the police caught one of the customers. 

Our social workers gathered details from the victims, and the police collected incriminating evidence from the lodge. At around midnight, our social workers accompanied the three victims to their medical tests, then back to the police station. At 1:35 a.m., the police registered a First Information Report under section 18 of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (ITPA).

Early in the morning, the team, along with the police and the AHTU, escorted the victims to a temporary shelter for women. 

The accused were taken to court. The magistrate ordered them to remain in police custody. The victims were also produced in court, and the magistrate ordered that their Section 164 statements be recorded before a female judge.

After the victims' statements were recorded, the women were taken back to the temporary shelter, where they will stay until their next court hearing.

Collecting details from the youngest victim

Collecting evidence from the lodge