Baibhav Mishra By

BHUBANESWAR: Like hordes of other foreigners, the Kyrgyzstani woman, who was rescued by the police from flesh trade operating from an apartment in the City, came in the hope of exploring the essence of India. But little did she know that this maiden holiday trip of hers would turn into a nightmare and she would be trapped in the vicious cycle of trafficking and prostitution.

If sources are to believed, the woman, who works as a teacher in the suburbs of her country, had never travelled out of Kyrgyzstan before this ill-fated trip.

In fact, these facts contradict the initial reports that had claimed that the woman was a professional sex worker and had travelled to India several times in the past.

She was issued a Kyrgyz passport in the first week of February this year and an Indian tourist visa a few days later. The woman, aged 31 years, arrived in New Delhi on February 25, and the sole purpose of her visit was to travel across the country.

One week after visiting places in North India, the woman boarded a train to Goa. However, something transpired in Goa and she ended up in the State Capital on March 22, a day before she was rescued by the cops. The woman is not willing to share her travel details from Goa to Bhubaneswar.

While police officials claim that the woman could be concealing facts, counsellors who are interacting with her say she had befriended a man in Goa who traded her with a Kolkata-based pimp.

The woman was in a state of shock and reacted violently during the first three days at the short stay home, where she is sheltered currently. She even refused to have food and demanded to be allowed to go back to her country.

The woman did not trust police or social workers initially and alleged wrongful confinement. The woman was deeply aggrieved by the public shaming caused by media reports claiming her to be a sex worker, sources said.

“It was only after the officials in Kyrgygstan Embassy spoke to her over phone and assured her that she was in safe hands, the woman cooperated and befriended our staff,” Programme Manger, Ruchika Childline Benudhar Senapati said.

The woman is an orphan and the sole bread earner for her family which consists of a brother and a sister. Not conversant in English, she is using a translator (Russian to English) app on her mobile phone to communicate with staff of the short stay home. Kyrgyz Embassy is likely to facilitate her travel to New Delhi in a day or two, sources added.