Gang of 7 held for forcing minors into flesh trade

It is said, a 14-year-old girl from Vengamedu had gone missing on November 18 after she reached school.

When her parents searched for her, they could not trace her and lodged a complaint with the Vengamedu police, who had registered a case.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the girl reached Karur and narrated the entire incident. She said that she was taken away by a gang led by S Kumathavalli (33) to Tiruppur. They offered her some drink laced with drugs which made her unconscious.

It is said, she was later forced into prostitution. Later, she managed to escape from Tiruppur and reach Karur on Thursday.

The girl’s father, who heard the story, approached the police again and lodged another complaint.

Subsequently, the complaint was forwarded to SP TK Rajkasekaran, who ordered the Karur DSP Kummaraja to form special teams to nab the gang. The special team which went to Tiruppur on Friday, arrested Kumuthavali, A Saranya (23), G Kalpana (30), B Santhana Mary (36), Pradap (27), Sivakumar (34) of Palladam, Mani (34) of Tiruppur and brought them to Karur.

Later, the gang confessed that Kumuthavalli used to identify girls from economically-poor background and habituate them to drugs. Once they become addicted to the drug, the gang used to force them into prostitution. The police said that the gang might have kidnapped several such minors.

Subsequently, the arrested were produced before the Karur Mahila Court and lodged in prison.