1 message, 2 countries and 40 hours in-between: How an NGO official orchestrated the rescue of 7 trafficked women

The morning on 5 October began in a rather strange way for Mukta Das, a Dhaka-based NGO official in her mid-30s. As soon as she connected her phone to the internet, an imo message popped up on her screen.

"Mukta apu, are you there? Please, help me." 

Within seconds, all her senses heightened, knowing that she was up for a huge task at hand. 

The sender, a young woman of the age 19, was communicating with her from somewhere in India. According to her, she was brought to the neighbouring country under the pretext of being provided a job, but was now held captive and forced into flesh trade by a sex racket. Mukta was the only contact she had that she believed could help her. 

In the meantime, Mukta was acutely aware that she was up against organised crime, and it was also a race against time. She had to take immediate action. Otherwise, there was every chance of the young woman, Nishi (not her real name), vanishing into thin air, and that too, in a foreign land, never to be found again. 

Over the next 40 hours, Mukta did what she had to do. She tried to remain in constant contact with Nishi, though at times it became quite impossible, and also made connections with an Indian social organisation to ensure Nishi's safe rescue. 

Eventually, in the early hours of 7 October, Nishi and six other Bangladeshi women were rescued by police from Kalyan, a city on the banks of Ulhas River in Thane district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. The rescued women are now anticipating repatriation to Bangladesh, a process that could take three months to a year. 

Additionally, Thane police also arrested five Bangladeshi nationals and another local person. 

The Business Standard caught up with Mukta, a Senior Programme Officer of Justice and Care, an international NGO, to delve deeper into the fascinating story of how she came to know about the women trafficking case in Thane, and how she reacted to make sure all the victims were rescued safely.

The first rescue that didn't come through 

It all began three months ago, when Sheema (pseudonym) from Savar called Mukta over phone to inform her that one of her acquaintances Nishi was attempting an illegal migration to India for employment. She expressed concern that Nishi might fall victim to women trafficking and exploitation, similar to her own experience.

Sheema, now 26 years old, too was once trafficked to India, and had to spend some time in a red-light area, before being rescued and repatriated to Bangladesh by Justice and Care six years ago. She stayed in a shelter home facilitated by the NGO for almost four years, with the organisation also aiding her successful reintegration into society.

So, long story short, Sheema was well aware of the perils associated with illicitly crossing the Indian border, and she also was familiar with Mukta, who has been working in Justice and Care for the last six and a half years. 

Upon learning about the impending threat to Nishi from Sheema, Mukta reached out to Nishi and her family, attempting to persuade her that illegally migrating to India could pose risks. Regrettably, Nishi was reluctant to heed her advice and rejected her assistance. Having received skill training from the agents, she was led to firmly believe that a prosperous future awaited her in India.

However, after being informed that Nishi was on the verge of crossing the border, Mukta reached out to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and successfully intervened, preventing Nishi from making the journey on her first attempt. 

Unbeknownst to Mukta, Nishi eventually managed to cross the border into India two and a half months ago, a development that was not communicated to her by Sheema.

"Sheema later told us that she too wasn't aware of this," shared Mukta. 

The quest for an unknown location 

When Mukta received Nishi's imo message on the morning of 5 October, she swiftly tried to put together what Nishi was up to. 

While she continuously kept in touch with Nishi, she also contacted Sheema in Bangladesh. To her surprise, she found out Nishi had not travelled to India alone; she had gone with her husband, who had subsequently been subjected to severe physical abuse and later fled back to Bangladesh some time ago.

This piece of information raised suspicions in Mukta's mind about the potential involvement of Nishi's husband in the crime. She couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't sought legal assistance either in India or Bangladesh. 

"Nevertheless, we have been unable to directly communicate with Nishi's husband to this day, despite Nishi's mother asserting her son-in-law's complete innocence," Mukta told us. 

Meanwhile, once Mukta was certain that Nishi was indeed being held captive in India and desired to be rescued, she began exploring avenues to assist her. But the foremost challenge was determining Nishi's exact location, which remained unclear to Nishi herself, except for a vague indication that it was somewhere near Mumbai.

At this point, it came to light that Nishi was not alone in the confined space; another Bangladeshi girl, Shraboni (pseudonym), shared the room. Shraboni appeared content with her involvement in sex work and exhibited no interest in being rescued. Nevertheless, Mukta urged Nishi to pass the phone to Shraboni.

"Even if you choose not to leave, please aid me in rescuing Nishi," Mukta told Shraboni, urging her to disclose any knowledge of the location. Shraboni, too, possessed limited information but managed to mention an adjacent railway station named something resembling "Dombli."

Mukta pondered whether such a place truly existed in India. Nonetheless, she now had a starting point: the location was possibly in Maharashtra and its name might commence with the letter 'D'.  

Putting all the clues together

Following advice from Justice and Care country director, Tariqul Islam, Mukta also sought reconfirmation from Nishi that she genuinely desired to be rescued. She emphasised the importance of keeping the communication line open all the time and indirectly began preparing Nishi for the prolonged repatriation process; meaning that she wouldn't be able to return to her family immediately.

"This reconfirmation held significant weight, particularly considering Nishi's previous refusal of our assistance. Furthermore, if she abruptly severed contact, tracing her whereabouts might become exceedingly challenging. We also needed to make her mentally prepared for the complex and lengthy repatriation process that would follow post her rescue," Mukta reflected, as she recounted the story to us.

At one point, while Mukta was talking to Nishi over the phone, a pimp involved with the racket came to their room. Nishi informed Mukta that he was called Rana. Nishi also somehow managed to capture a photo of the place they were being held captive in from the outside, and sent it to Mukta. From the picture, it looked like an area on the outskirts. 

With all this information, Mukta contacted the Pune-based social organisation Freedom Firm by the end of 5 October. 

"I was waiting to gather as much information as possible. Tracking down someone in the clutches of organised crime, with half-baked information, is never an option. We couldn't afford to involve the governments of both countries with insufficient information either," said Mukta. 

As soon as Freedom Firm got word from Mukta, they started working on the matter with utmost importance, as they too realised the gravity and urgency of the whole situation. They also urged Mukta to be in constant touch with Nishi. 

The last piece of the jigsaw puzzle 

Acting on the information, the Pune NGO's Shilpa Wankhede sought the assistance of police on October 6.

Just when everything seemed to be heading in the right direction, Mukta was faced with a big setback. During the afternoon of 6 October, Nishi abruptly ceased all communication with Mukta. She wasn't answering Mukta's calls or responding to her texts. This left Mukta extremely anxious, worrying that the sex racket's members might have become aware of their efforts. 

But finally, after a three-hour wait, Mukta was able to reach Nishi, who claimed she had been asleep. "How could you sleep on such a crucial day?" Mukta inquired angrily. However, it turned out that Nishi had been given a drug overdose, causing her to remain in a state of unconsciousness.  

Later on, Nishi once more offered Mukta a helpful resource, sending her a photo of the pimp Rana's business card, which mentioned his contact details, including the local phone number. This revelation provided Mukta with a valuable lead, and she immediately shared it with Freedom Firm, enabling them to collaborate with the police to track the number and locate Rana's whereabouts.   

Hence, Mukta had shouldered her share of the responsibilities to perfection, and now it was up to the Indian NGO to see how far they could progress with the help of police. As they ardently worked to apprehend the sex trafficking ring and liberate the exploited women, Mukta remained in Dhaka, eagerly awaiting news of the operation's success.

The rescue and arrest

Eventually, around 12.30 am on October 7, Freedom Firm confirmed that the sex racket had been dismantled. Not only were Nishi and her roommate Shraboni rescued, but a total of seven Bangladeshi women, aged between 19 and 26, were also liberated.

The rescue mission's news surfaced on October 9 when the Press Trust of India (PTI) released an article, subsequently featured across various prominent Indian media outlets. The reports suggest that the women were held captive at Hetutne village, and  a team from Manpada police station in Dombivli reached the specified spot in a chawl. 

So, the place sounding like "Dombli" was actually Dombivli, a town in Kalyan.

Following the deployment of additional personnel, the police conducted an extensive overnight search operation and apprehended five suspects, all Bangladeshi nationals aged between 24 and 40, the official reported. 

The arrested Bangladeshi nationals identified as main accused are: Yunush Shaikh alias Rana, 40, Sahil Shaikh, 26, Firdoush Sardar, 24, Ayubali Shaikh, 35, and Biplap Khan, 24. 

Furthermore, the authorities also detained the 31-year-old owner of a rented room, named Yogesh Kalan, linked to the suspects.

In the course of inspecting the suspects' residence, the police confiscated 25 presumed Aadhaar cards, 10 PAN cards, four birth certificates, and a combination of Indian and Bangladeshi currency notes. However, the exact monetary value was not disclosed.

The suspects have been charged under pertinent sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, and the Foreigners Act, according to the police statement.

Repatriation, reintegration and beyond 

Unlike India, the news of the rescue mission didn't garner as much attention as it should have in Bangladesh. Mukta, though, is not much concerned about the publicity. 

"We don't view ourselves as heroes. Our focus is solely on fulfilling our duties. Personally, I wasn't even aware if the news made it to any Indian or Bangladeshi media. It's you who are first informing me," Mukta revealed, accompanied by a shy smile on her face. 

There are now other big thoughts in Mukta's mind. Rescuing the trafficked women was just the initial phase of their job. Now, they will also have to work closely with both Bangladeshi and Indian governments to repatriate the rescued women to Bangladesh. 

The rescued women are now in a shelter home in Mumbai. They are expected to stay in India until the legal proceedings are concluded, as they are required to provide testimony against the accused. Following this, they may also receive compensation from the Indian government, informed Mukta.

Meanwhile, Justice and Care will submit an application to Bangladesh's Ministry of Home Affairs requesting travel permits for the women. However, the issuance of the permit is subject to thorough police verification.

"When we deal with West Bengal, things go very slowly. But now that this case was in Maharashtra, we expect to wrap up things sooner," said Mukta, before adding that it would still take at least three months. 

After repatriation, Justice and Care will do a needs-based assessment of the survivors and provide whatever help and support they need, including medical assistant and counselling, as well as education and skill training so that they could go back to leading a normal life. 

The NGO will also help the women to generate income in the future by assisting them in buying assets and linking them with market actors. Additionally, the organisation has its own dedicated legal team to provide trafficking victims with justice and support.

What is Justice and Care?

Justice and Care is an UK-based charity which currently runs its operations in South Asia, the UK and Eastern Europe. It began its journey in Bangladesh in 2017. Since then, it has been working to facilitate assistance to trafficking victims of the country. 

So far it has successfully repatriated around 750 trafficked women and children to Bangladesh, according to the organisation's country director Tariqul Islam. 

Justice and Care's work spans almost every aspect of anti-trafficking work, including direct implementation of victim services, repatriation of survivors, and assisting law enforcement and the judiciary with trafficking cases. 

In the rescue of trafficked individuals, it collaborates with CID, Rab, PBI, and BGB, while in repatriation and reintegration, it partners with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Social Services, and Department of Women Affairs, among other entities.

Justice and Care also worked with the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs in drafting the groundbreaking victim identification guidelines, which will help police and BGB to improve their ability to identify trafficking victims, leading to increased interceptions and more victims brought to safety. 

Tariqul Islam was recognised as a Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report Hero by the US Department of State earlier this year.