Agra 'mother' held for pushing her 9-year-old child into prostitution

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A 34-year-old woman from Agra was arrested for allegedly forcing her nine-year-old daughter into prostitution and assaulting her, police said on Monday, The Indian Express reported.

The incident came to light when the girl, who was adopted by the woman two years ago, approached a man around 4 pm on Sunday and asked him to take her to a police station, the report added.

“She told the man that the woman had adopted her and had been forcing her into prostitution for the last two years,” Hemant Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Agra (Sadar Bazaar) was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

Kumar added that the police filed an FIR based on the man’s complaint and took the woman into custody. “She said during interrogation that she adopted the girl two years ago, and since then, she has pushed her into the flesh trade. We are investigating the case further,” the ACP added.

A case was registered under Section 70(2) (rape) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

When contacted, Kumar told The Indian Express that the woman had “bought” the child from an acquaintance for Rs 60,000. “She had not legally adopted her, but she had an affidavit from the person from whom she had taken the kid. Prima facie, it looks like all of them are involved in human trafficking,” he added.

The woman, the police said, would call people at her house to rape the girl. Apart from the woman, the police have booked three men.