The racket came to light after one of the victims managed to escape their net.

The 23-year-old girl, from a village in 24 Parganas, was brought to Surat on December 23, confined to a house, severely beaten up and gangraped. She managed to escape on December 25, while being taken to a customer. Found by the roadside in Punagam area in an unconscious state, she was taken to the New Civil Hospital.

She regained consciousness on January 7 and managed to give her statement to the police, an officer said.

Punagam police inspector A B Jhala said: "We are carrying out operations at different places to free other five girls." The victim, he said, is still in the hospital and she did not know the area where she had been kept confined.

"At present she is out of danger. She said she used to be raped by the youths regularly," Jhala added.

The girl was brought from her home by three youths of a neighbouring village. They had told her father Sanatan Mandal that they can get her a job in Surat. They paid him Rs 600 as advance salary.

The youths, she reportedly said, had managed to take five other girls from different villages in 24 Parganas, said an officer of Punagam police.