Suniel Shetty Facilitates Safe Return Of Nepalese Women From Sex Trafficking

Suniel Shetty Saving Women From Trafficking: Women falling prey to sex trafficking is a heinous crime that often goes unnoticed. However, Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty once became a saviour for these women. He not only arranged flight tickets for their safe return home but also ensured the incident remained undisclosed until one of the survivors spoke about it years later.

The actor kept this act of heroism under wraps for nearly 28 years. Charimaya Tamang, one of the survivors, shared her story of being trafficked from her village and how they were rescued by Suniel Shetty. She revealed, "When the government was confused as to how to go about the operation, it was India's film hero, Suniel Shetty who supported us," in the Vice India documentary - The Forgotten Ones: Human Trafficking In Nepal.

On February 5, 1996, Mumbai police rescued 456 women aged between 14 to 30 from Kamathipura's red-light district. Among them were 128 Nepalese women who lacked citizenship proof, leading to their government's refusal to take them back. Suniel Shetty stepped in and arranged flight tickets with help from his mother-in-law, Vipula Kadri, founder of 'Save the Children' NGO.

Dalpat Razzpurohit (@DalpatSunielian) May 11, 2020

Charimaya Tamang further explained in the video, "On February 5, 1996, the whole of Kamathipura, the brothel area, had been cordoned off by police and social workers. They got us out of there. This is how we were rescued. After being rescued, our government (Nepal) refused to bring us back. They said we didn't have our birth certificates or citizenship cards. That is when your film hero, Suneil Shetty supported us. He got plane tickets to Kathmandu for 128 women who had been rescued."

Suniel Shetty explained why he chose to remain silent about his involvement for so long. He said, "Firstly, we didn't want to glorify ourselves. It was not right as these girls were involved. Secondly, yeh aisi gandi mafia hai ki kabhi chodti nahi hai. Jitne low profile mein operation hone ki zarurat thi, waise hi hua (The operation took place in a low-profile manner). Hence, nobody even knew about this incident."

Discussing his decision to help despite the risks involved with confronting the mafia, he stated, "We didn't really think about the price of flight tickets. The cost was not that important. It was the effort that counted. My mother-in-law started the Save The Children NGO and it's active even today. All of us are involved in it. The inspiration comes from her. She was the one who decided to take the risk of rescuing the girls and thereby getting into the bad books of the mafia."

This remarkable act by Suniel Shetty highlights his commitment to humanitarian causes and his willingness to take significant risks for others' safety without seeking recognition.