Uttar Pradesh: Stepmother among three held for forcing minor into flesh trade

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Three persons, including stepmother of a 16-year-old girl, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly forcing the minor into flesh trade, police said.

Shahjahanpur Superintendent of Police (rural) Sanjeev Bajpai said that on Friday night, the minor girl reached Powaya police station and accused her stepmother of forcing her into prostitution.

Citing the complaint lodged by the girl, Bajpai said, "The stepmother and two others were forcing the girl to indulge in flesh trade for the past one year, and had even kept her hostage. The girl was threatened by them.

"Recently, the girl was taken to the home of one of the accused and kept there for three days, where some people made relationship with her. On Friday night, she escaped from there and narrated her plight after reaching Powaya police station," Bajpai told PTI.

A case was registered against the stepmother and two others under relevant sections of the POCSO Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, the SP said, adding that the three accused persons were arrested on Sunday.

Bajpai also said that the minor girl's father is a resident of Pilibhit district.

According to police, when the girl was two-year-old, her mother died, and her father married another woman (the victim's stepmother), a resident of Powaya. After the marriage, the girl was also brought to Powaya, and they used to live at Powaya, police said.

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