Representative image for an arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
Mysuru: The Vijayanagar police rescued a minor girl and arrested two accused, including a woman, for allegedly demanding Rs 20 lakh from a man for sexual contact with the minor girl.
In a joint operation with the 'Odanadi' organisation, the police apprehended Shobha and Tulasi Kumar from Bengaluru and rescued the minor girl.
The police said, “Some wealthy elderly men, adult males, and other adults have a superstition that they can regain manhood by engaging in sexual contact with a menstruating girl aged 12–13. These two accused were involved in a racket supplying the girl to such men."
According to Stanley from Odanadi, the accused would show the girl to clients via WhatsApp video call, with the woman acting as a broker in the network.
“This matter came to light through the organisation's informants. The Police personnel from Vijayanagar Station, dressed as fake businessmen, along with the district child protection committee members, conducted a joint operation and held the accused," he said.
He added, "The network targeted slum-dwellers, labourers, poor, migrants, and single-parent families in Bengaluru, Mysuru and surrounding areas. They tracked down the address of menstruating girls, lured and abducted them. The network would keep a watch on the rituals the parents performed when a girl reached puberty”.
"In this case too, the girl’s parents would display her in a school uniform to the clients, claiming she was adopted, and demand between Rs 20 to Rs 25 lakh,” the sources said.
“A case has been registered, the girl has been rescued and housed in a children’s home," said Vijayanagar Police.