Delhi: How a former sex worker ran a child trafficking racket worth crores
The arrest of Afaq Hussain and his wife Saira Begum along with six of their aides reported earlier today has exposed the murky underbelly of child trafficking in the heart of the capital.
Minor girls from Nepal and remote areas of West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and other states were brought to Delhi on the pretext of lucrative jobs, sightseeing and even false promises of marriage. Not only were they thrashed, confined, intoxicated and starved for several days, they were also paid only a meagre amount after the money spent on buying them (usually around Rs 1-2 lakh) along with interest of 8-10% per month was recovered from their earnings.
HOW THE BUSINESS STARTED
Saira Begum, originally from Hyderabad, came to Delhi after the death of her parents. Unable to find any work for days, Saira started working as a sex worker at Kotha No. 58, GB Road. After being arrested and convicted for publicly soliciting in 1990, she started a prostitution racket at the same kotha where she started off as a sex worker.
Afaq Hussain, from a poor family of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, came to Delhi to earn his livelihood. Like Saira, he too could not find a permanent source of income, in spite of working as a private contractor. He came in contact with her in 1999 and became attracted to her huge earnings from the illegal racket. He married her the same year and they began running the trafficking business together with the help of other associates including paid managers, nayikas and traffickers.
Even when Saira was arrested in connection with a trafficking case, her husband continued to run the business in her absence. After her release, the couple transferred their property to their close associates to avoid being caught. However, they have now been arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) with statements from the trafficked girls, including other evidence against them.
LAKHS IN CASH, LUXURY CARS, BANK ACCOUNTS WORTH CRORES RECOVERED
Having started out from one kotha, they managed to expand their business enough to amass crores and buy properties across several states in the country, including Swami Shardhanand Marg (GB Road). During the August 25 raid, the police recovered four luxury cars recovered (Fortuners, Toyota Innovas, Hondas), Rs 9 lakh in cash, and crores deposited in bank accounts.
