A couple in Lucknow has been arrested for forcing their minor house help into the flesh trade, police said on Tuesday.

Maneka and Arun Tiwari run a general store and were arrested late Monday night.

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The victim, a 16-year-old Dalit girl, was offered the job to work for the couple by one Armaan.

Mahanagar Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Neha Tripathi said poor family background forced the girl to take up the job.

“The girl was forced into flesh trade. When she objected, she was brutally assaulted and subjected to humiliation for her being a Dalit,” said ACP Tripathi.

The girl narrated her ordeal to her father who registered a complaint against Armaan, said the police.

ACP Tripathi said after an investigation it became clear that the couple forced her into prostitution and have been arrested.