Orphanage horror: 37 abused kids rescued

Orphanage horror: 37 abused kids rescued

Children, aged between eight and 15 years, were crammed into a small makeshift shelter built using tin sheds; cops launch hunt for the other maulana

By Vishal Srivastav

Incident came to light after two boys escaped; the police arrest one maulana

In one of the biggest rescue operations carried out in the city, as many as 37 children, who had been forced to live in the most inhuman conditions, were freed from an orphanage in Katraj. Subsequently, the kids revealed that they were being sexually and physically exploited at the shelter.

It has now come to the fore that the Jamiatul Khairiya Al-Islamia Educational and Charitable Trust was being run by one Maulana Yusuf Shaikh. When child rights activists and members of the child welfare committee (CWC) accompanied by the police raided the area, it was found that children, aged between eight and 15 years, were crammed into a small makeshift shelter built using tin sheds. The centre did not have toilets or bathrooms, but only two plastic water tanks.

The shocking act was unearthed when two 10-year-old boys escaped from the shelter and took to odd jobs at the Pune railway station. They were later rescued by members of NGO Sathi. The NGO then roped in the CWC after which child rights activist Yamini Adbe was notified about the horrific conditions at the facility.

Talking to Mirror, Adbe said, “We have rescued as many as 37 children from this so-called orphanage. The children were being sexually exploited in the name of education, a fact that has come to the fore after two kids were rescued by Sathi. The children were dumped cruelly like animals in a small makeshift shelter, where there is no toilet or bathroom facility. All the children are aged below 15 years. The kids, when rescued, were in a state of shock.”

Adbe got in touch with the Bharati Vidyapeeth police, who initially directed her towards the Kondhwa police stating that the area did not fall under their jurisdiction. She then contacted police commissioner Rashmi Shukla and informed her about the issue. The police chief stepped up and directed the social security cell to act on her orders. However, with the area being sensitive, Adbe said that they had to take help from the Kondhwa police, who swung into action before it was finally revealed that the area did fall under the Bharati Vidyapeeth police station.

Adbe added that the Kondhwa police’s senior police inspector Milind Gaikwad took special measures and went out of his way to help rescue the children. The police have now arrested Yusuf, and an FIR has also been registered against Maulana Raheem Shaikh as well.

Talking to Mirror, Yusuf said, “I do not know what has gone wrong. There are police all around my orphanage that I run with the help of local charity. Ihave done nothing wrong and helped children get educated. Maulana Raheem, who is accused of exploiting the children, joined us just three days ago.”

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