Post News Network
Malkangiri, Dec 16: She had a dream to pursue higher studies for financial independence. But things took a turn in Geeta’s (not her real name) life when she was kidnapped by a man and she was forced into prostitution.
After several years in the trade, Geeta managed to escape from the clutches of a middleman in Delhi and narrated her ordeal before media. She revealed that 14 other girls known to her were sold at various places in the country and work as prostitutes.
Geeta from MV-66 village under Kalimela block in the district was returning from school four years ago when Tapan Mandal of MV-35 kidnapped her. When the matter came to the fore, a panchayat meeting was called and families of the girl and that of Mandal were asked to pay Rs 2,500 as fine to the panchayat, after which their marriage was solemnized. Her ordeal started in Mandal’s house when she came to know that he had already been married. Every night, Mandal along with his first wife used to beat her up severely.
She knocked on the door of Kalimela police for justice but in vain. Her appeal to her parents also went in vain as they refused to accept her back. Finding no other option, she came to Malkangiri to earn a living. Here also her husband came and assaulted her. She then moved to the family of her maternal aunt in the town. During her stay in her aunt’s house, Geeta agreed with the proposal of a woman to move to Delhi in a tour. When she reached Delhi, the woman sold her to a middleman for Rs 60,000.
The middleman used to force her into flesh trade in Delhi and Agra. She was kept in house arrest by the middleman.
She begged Rs 500 from an old woman who was staying near the house of the middleman. The girl came to Malkangiri via Raipur by train with the help of police and stayed at her aunt’s house. Now, she came to know that her aunt was behind the whole incident.
A few days later, a local man identified Uttam, who resides in the town, kept her in a rented house on the plea of helping her in learning skills to be economically independent. Uttam also was no angel for her. He kept physical relationship with Geeta by blackmailing her after clicking her nude pictures.
All these incidents forced her to work as a call girl in the town.
Geeta said girls from several areas of the district are forcefully married off to middlemen, who later force them into flesh trade. They included three girls from the district headquarters town, one from Padmagiri, three from MV-8, one from MV-9 and six from Kalimela area.
She demanded that stringent measures be taken against the persons operating the trade. The girl also urged the district administration to help her lead life with dignity.
Geeta has not lodged a complaint with the police yet. Measures would be taken against the guilty after the girl lodged a complaint, said Malkangiri IIC Rajkishore Das and Kalimela police station officer in-charge Bamadeb Nanda.
