Five held for misappropriating funds meant for commercial sex workers in Pune

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Five persons have been arrested for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for providing financial aid to commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Maharashtra's Pune city, police said on Thursday.

The action has come after several women had approached the district collectorate in April, complaining that they had received Rs 15,000 as financial assistance, which was actually meant for CSWs, and had offered to return the sum.

The Supreme Court, in September last year, had directed states to provide dry rations to sex workers identified by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and Legal Services authorities without insisting on any proof of identity.

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Accordingly, the Pune district administration had recently offered an assistance of Rs 15,000 each for October, November and December to over 5,000 CSWs through direct transfer of benefits.

"The district administration had lodged a complaint against some unscrupulous people who had approached some women, mostly illiterates, who work as domestic helps," an official from Dattawadi police station said.

The unidentified accused got some forms filled by telling the women that as part of lockdown relief, the government was paying them Rs 15,000 for three months, he said.

"In April, a financial aid of Rs 15,000 was credited to the bank accounts of these women. The people, who had gotten their forms filled, later approached them and took Rs 10,000 from the relief sum, citing that the funds will be used for orphaned children," the official said.

Following complaints of corruption in the scheme, the district administration lodged a police complaint, stating that some people took Rs 10,000 each from 52 women, who had received the aid meant for CSWs, he said.

"We arrested five people, including members of an NGO working for the welfare of sex workers, in this connection," the official said, adding that a name of a government official has also cropped up during the probe.

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