Chennai: The newly formed Tambaram police commissioner office here has taken action against four policemen of the Kelambakam Police Station after they failed to act against a flesh trade racket involving four minor girls brought from Tripura.
The policemen failed to take action against four people who were involved in the flesh trade and trafficking of minor girls. The policemen, according to the senior officers, had turned a blind eye after taking money from the perpetrators.
The four policemen have been transferred and a further probe initiated against them, said officials.
According to the Flower Bazar police, a minor girl approached them on January 26, Republic Day after escaping from a lodge room and narrated the ordeal. Immediately the police conducted a raid and rescued three more girls aged 16, 15, and 14. A 17-year-old girl from among them had approached the Flower Bazar police.
On investigation, Flower Bazar police found that four people, Chalema Khatun (38) from Tripura who is the gang leader and the main accused, Alavuddin (29), Moinuddeen (42), and Anwar Hussain (34) were illegally keeping the girls after being brought from Tripura promising them jobs in salons in Chennai. According to the police, the parents of the girls were paid Rs. 13,000 each and on reaching Chennai they were tortured and raped repeatedly by the men and also were forced to generate daily an amount of Rs. 50,000 by selling them to people at night. On January 26, the police control room at Kelakambalam Police Station received an alert and police raided the apartment and found the girls.
However, according to the Tambaram Police Commissionerate, the policemen had taken money and allowed the girls to go with the accused. After this, the girls were shifted to a lodge room and from there, one girl escaped and complained to the Flower Bazar police who swung into action and rescued the girls. Three men escaped but the police nabbed the main accused Khatum and search for the other four is on.
Tamil Nadu Child Welfare Commission Member, N. Lalitha complained to the Tambaram Police commissioner about the incident and this paved the way for action against the four policemen, including a head constable attached with the Kelambakam police station.
Lalitha while speaking to IANS said, “The policemen of the Kelambakam station behaved in utter callousness and stringent action has to be taken against them who colluded with the criminals who had tortured and raped four minor girls. Strict action against the erring policemen has to be taken.”
Flower Bazar police have been lauded for the timely action they took to arrest the main accused Khaturm and rescue the girls. Police have charged the accused under sections pertaining to the POCSO Act, The IT Act (Violation of privacy), JJ Act, and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act.
