Indian Web Series 'Flesh' Exposes Mumbai's Human Trafficking Crisis
Eros Now drama puts spotlight on organized crime network exploiting vulnerable victims across South Asia
An Indian web series has become an unlikely window into one of South Asia's most persistent organized crime problems: human trafficking networks operating across major urban centers.
'Flesh,' an eight-episode production released on streaming service Eros Now in 2020, presents a fictionalized account of a female police officer investigating the disappearance of a young woman caught in Mumbai's trafficking underworld. Directed by Danish Aslam and written by Pooja Ladha Surti, the series deliberately blurs the line between crime drama and social documentary, using dramatic storytelling to expose what authorities and anti-trafficking organizations describe as a systematic exploitation machine.
The series centers on ACP Radha Nautiyal, portrayed by Indian actor Swara Bhasker, as she navigates corruption, criminal networks, and the hidden infrastructure of human trafficking disguised behind glamour and false promises. Unlike traditional crime procedurals, 'Flesh' was explicitly created to criticize and expose the brutal realities of trafficking rather than merely entertain.
For international audiences, the series serves as a stark illustration of why human trafficking remains one of the world's most pressing crime challenges. India currently holds the highest estimated number of modern slavery victims globally, according to the Walk Free Foundation's modern slavery index—a distinction that reflects both the scale of the problem and the vulnerability of millions across the Indian subcontinent.
Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment hub, presents a particularly acute trafficking crisis. Criminal networks exploit the city's size, poverty levels, and migration patterns to systematically target vulnerable populations. In Maharashtra state alone—where Mumbai is located—authorities recorded 856 human trafficking cases in 2021, a figure that experts believe substantially underestimates the true scope due to underreporting and limited victim identification.
