Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty was an action hero on screen and a real-life hero off screen. About 28 years ago, the star rescues 128 women survivors of sex trafficking. All these years later, this kind act has come to light through one of the women saved in that operation, Charimaya Tamang.
The incident occurred on February 5, 1996, when the Mumbai police raided the red light area at Kamathipura and rescued 456 women, including 128 from Nepal.
Many of these women did not have proof of citizenship; hence the Nepal government refused to take them back. When Shetty came to know about this, he took matters into his own hands, arranging a flight, and paying for tickets of all the 128 women so that they may reach home safely.
Shetty gives the credit of the operation to the Mumbai police and his mother-in-law, Vipula Kadri, founder of the ‘Save the Children’ NGO.
During an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Shetty said, “We didn’t think about the cost of flight tickets. The effort was what counted. My mother-in-law inspired us all. She took the risk of rescuing the girls, getting into the bad books of the mafia.”
Despite the danger, Shetty’s actions remained low-profile to protect the women involved. “We didn’t want to glorify ourselves. Given that these girls were participating, it wasn’t right. This mafia never lets go. The operation needed to be low-profile, and it was,” Shetty added.
Today, the 128 women, including Charimaya Tamang, have rebuilt their lives, thanks to the compassion and bravery of Suniel Shetty and his team. Their stories remind us that a single act of kindness can change countless lives.
