Ballari, November 12: Ballari police have busted a sex trafficking racket operating in Millerpet, where minor girls and women were allegedly lured with monetary inducements and forced into sexual exploitation. The racket was exposed through an undercover operation conducted by women police personnel, Superintendent of Police Suman D. Pannekar said.
Addressing a press conference at her office on Thursday, the SP said that a total of 16 persons had been named as accused in connection with the case. Of them, 11 have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody, while efforts are underway to trace the remaining five.
According to the SP, the accused, including Govindamma of Millerpet and others, had allegedly been running the racket for the past one-and-a-half months with the intention of making money by exploiting minor girls and women. The accused allegedly lured victims with financial incentives and subjected them to sexual exploitation. There were also allegations that obscene photographs of minor girls were taken and circulated on social media platforms. The victims were allegedly transported to Bengaluru, Anantapur, Vijayapura and other places for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
A case has been registered at the APMC Police Station under Crime No. 243/2026 under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, Sections 4 and 5 of the Information Technology Act, and Sections 13, 14 and 15 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, among other relevant legal provisions. Further investigation is in progress.
The 16 persons named in the case are Govindamma, Nagaraj, Raju, Erriswamy, Eeramma, Mohammed, Vinuthabai, Rabia, Gausia, Gangadhar, Anwar, Usman, Rahul, Alibai, Ashraf and Baburao.
Investigation reveals modus operandi
The investigation has revealed that the accused allegedly divided the money generated through the racket into three portions. One portion was reportedly given to the alleged kingpins, another to the victims, and the third was shared among the accused.
The accused also allegedly used code words to communicate. While the victims were referred to as ‘Paper’, the alleged masterminds were identified by the code word ‘DR’, the SP said.
Police are also investigating the circumstances under which photographs and videos of the victims were taken and circulated, the persons to whom they were sent, and the purposes for which the material was allegedly used.
Women police personnel play key role in undercover operation
The SP particularly appreciated the role played by women police personnel in cracking the case. Acting on credible information and under the guidance of senior police officers, a team of women personnel carried out a sustained undercover operation for nearly 45 days.
By concealing their identities and establishing contact with the accused, including Govindamma, Eeramma and Erriswamy, the women police personnel successfully gathered information and exposed the trafficking network through a decoy operation.
Describing the operation as a significant achievement for the police department, the SP commended the dedication and efforts of the entire team.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of senior police officers and Additional Superintendents of Police, with the participation of DSP Govind Raju, Police Inspector Mohammed Rafi, PSI Supreeth, personnel from the JSB unit and staff of the APMC Police Station.
The SP specifically appreciated the contributions of women police personnel Lalithamma, Shahida, Anitha, Rukia Bhanu, Ambarin and Girija, along with all other personnel involved in the operation.
The SP lauded the police team for successfully busting the network allegedly involved in the exploitation of minor girls and women.