A Special POCSO Court in Ahmedabad has convicted two men in a cross-border human trafficking and sexual exploitation case involving two minor Bangladeshi sisters. The judgment was delivered on July 31, nearly two years after the Ahmedabad Crime Branch uncovered the alleged trafficking network.
How The Case Came To Light?
The case began on August 21, 2024, when the Ahmedabad Crime Branch registered an FIR after receiving information that women and minor girls were being brought from Bangladesh to India with false promises of jobs and later forced into prostitution.
Based on the information, police raided a flat in Vastral. During the operation, they rescued two minor sisters, their mother, the wife of one of the accused and a two-year-old child. Police said all of them were Bangladeshi nationals who had entered India illegally.
According to the investigation, Mohammad Faruq allegedly contacted poor families in Bangladesh and convinced them to come to India by offering employment. After reaching Ahmedabad, the victims allegedly came under the control of Sagar Mandal.
The victims’ mother told police that she travelled to India with her daughters because of financial difficulties and believed they would get jobs. Instead, investigators alleged that the girls were forced into commercial sexual exploitation.
The younger girl, who was 15 at the time, alleged that Sagar Mandal sexually assaulted her several times. Police also said both sisters, aged 15 and 17, were sent to customers for prostitution, while the accused collected most of the money.
Investigators further alleged that Sagar Mandal’s wife helped coordinate customers and collect payments.
Who Are The Convicts?
The court convicted Sagar Milan Mandal, a resident of Vastral originally from West Bengal, and Mohammad Faruq alias Harun Mohammad Karim Mandal, a Bangladeshi national living in Odhav. They were found guilty under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.
Court’s Findings
During the trial, the prosecution examined nine witnesses, including the victims, their mother, investigating officers, medical experts and members of the raiding team. The court also considered medical reports, forensic evidence, birth certificates and statements recorded before a magistrate.
The defence denied the allegations and claimed the accused had been falsely implicated. However, after examining the evidence, the Special POCSO Court held that the prosecution had proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
Sagar Milan Mandal was sentenced to 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault under the POCSO Act. He also received separate sentences for human trafficking, exploitation of a trafficked minor and offences under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.
Mohammad Faruq was sentenced to 14 years’ rigorous imprisonment for human trafficking and convicted under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. The court did not convict him under POCSO for sexual assault, saying there was no direct evidence against him on that charge.
The court directed that all sentences would run concurrently.
Crime Branch officials said the investigation also led to the registration of six more criminal cases against other people allegedly linked to the trafficking network operating in Ahmedabad.