She adds that when the two fell into the hands of agents two years ago in Nepal, they were studying in Classes VII and VIII. Now they have filed a case against their exploiters.

Rescue Foundation president Triveni Acharya admits that they are increasingly coming across cases of growth hormones being given to minor girls.

“We are opening a transit shelter in Pune next month given the increasing number of minors being rescued from there. Clearly, the focus of minor girl trafficking has shifted to Pune, given the demand for ‘fresh’ girls from the growing young clientele,” says Acharya.

Among the victims is a Mumbai girl, who will appear for her Class X exams next month and who was barely 14 when she was pushed into the flesh trade.

“I was given injections and tablets for nine months. By the time I was rescued, my body weight had gone up from 40 kg to 60 kg. I gained weight mostly around my hips and chest. My voice also sounds deeper, like a man’s voice now,” she says. She too has filed a case with the Mumbai police against her traffickers.

Dr Arun Phadnis, former president of the Pune Obstetric and Gynaecological Society, says the combination of estrogen and testosterone has several side effects and may even prove lethal.

Some 20 years back, the combination, available as Mixogen, was used in cases of severe uterine bleeding and bleeding due to fibroid uterus. But even this is now banned.

“It is shocking to hear that some doctors are still using it,” says Phadnis. “It calls for severe disciplinary action.”

... contd.