Girls were taken away in cars, cried when they returned, says inmate who escaped Deoria shelter home
“Many times white, black and red cars used to come and take away the girls. When they (girls) returned in the morning, they used to cry,” said the 10-year-old girl whose escape from a shelter home in UP’s Deoria led to the uncovering of a sex racket.
Police conducted a raid on Sunday after the girl narrated about sexual abuse and exploitation at the shelter run by a couple. Twenty-four inmates were rescued and 18 others were missing.
The couple, Girija and Mohan Tripathi, and their daughter were arrested after the raid.
Though neighbours said they never suspected anything amiss at Maa Vindhyavasini Mahila and Balika Sanrakshan Griha, inmates have revealed horror tales.
Television channels reported the inmates talking of sexual and physical abuse at the home.
“Police frequented this place which made it hard to believe that all these things are happening inside,” said government school teacher, Mridul Pandey, who owns a house nearby.
The Tripathis were secretive, but people in the town talked of how quickly their fortunes took an upward swing after she registered a non-government organisation (NGO) and started the shelter home eight years ago.
The home is located near the railway station on a busy road lined with eateries and hotels that are bustling all day. But the smaller gate of the building opens into a deserted road where locals said cars would often be parked.
“Every other day, a swanky car could be seen stationed outside but we thought she had a good image and so people would visit her, “ said local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Ashish Gupta .
The home’s licence was cancelled in June 2017 by the state’s women and child welfare department after large-scale irregularities were detected, the official said.
The district administration was directed to shift the children to a proper accommodation, but that was not done, the official said. The district child welfare committee which is supposed to check protection homes and ensure proper treatment of children too remained inactive, the official said.