Two girls lured to Karachi, forced into prostitution

Two young girls, allegedly trafficked to the metropolis under the guise of job opportunities and later sold into prostitution, have been rescued and shifted to a shelter home after being taken into protective custody by police.

According to PS Airport Head Moharrar Zaheer, the victims — a 19-year-old girl from Faisalabad and a 17-year-old from Okara — approached Special Security Unit (SSU) personnel near airport on Sept 26, claiming that they were being sold by a man.

The Quick Response Force (QRF) of the SSU, deployed in the area, took the girls into custody, subsequently alerting Madadgar-15.

A joint team of SSU and Madadgar-15 shifted the girls to Airport police station, where an initial probe revealed that a woman named Ayesha had lured the girls to Karachi with promises of respectable jobs. Upon their arrival, Ayesha reportedly handed them over to a man identified as Rafiuddin, who allegedly exploited them and forced them into prostitution for money.

The victims stated that they had been confined and exploited by Rafiuddin for the past 10 months. They escaped at the first available opportunity and sought help from policemen stationed near the airport.

Police further disclosed that FIRs regarding the girls' disappearance had already been registered in Punjab — one at Kot Lakhpat police station, Lahore, and the other at Roshanwala police station, Faisalabad.

Madadgar-15 contacted the girls' families and coordinated with Punjab police. The girls have since been moved to a shelter home. Punjab Police and the girls' families are coming to Karachi to take custody of the victims following official procedures. Police have assured that those involved in the trafficking, sale, and exploitation of the girls will be arrested.

* The victims' names have been withheld to protect their identities