For the five girls arrested on charges of immoral trafficking from Lalru on Monday night, it was poverty that landed them in the illegal trade.

“To cater to the needs of my younger sister studying in Class VI and my bed-ridden mother, I jumped into the trade on the guidance of a Chandigarh-based woman,” said one of the girls, a 20-year-old from Chandigarh.

Another girl from Gurgaon, also 20, told Newsline that she entered the trade to fulfil the needs of her two sons, aged 3 years and 1 year respectively, after she was divorced two years ago.

It was the same case for the 21-year-old daughter of a Delhi-based labourer who was married off at 16 and later divorced. On her reasons of joining the trade, she said no options were left for her to support her children and parents.

For the Ambala-based 28-year-old also, the illegal trade was the last resort to support her children. “When all other doors were closed, I entered the trade to support the studies of my three children and also pay for the rent of the house.”

The police, meanwhile, refused to comment on possible reasons that may have drawn the girls into the trade.

A Dera Bassi court, meanwhile, sent all the 11 arrested, including the 5 girls, to 14-day judicial remand on Wednesday. Raj Rana, owner of the hotel from where the arrests were made, is still on the run.