Thane: Cops bust prostitution racket, one held; four women rescued

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Police have exposed a prostitution racket that was being run from a lodge in Thane city in Maharashtra and rescued four women, an official said on Friday, PTI reported.

A garage operator, identified as Ranjit Vaishav (42), has been arrested for forcing the women into the illegal business, while the lodge owner, Ashok Shetty, is currently on the run, he said.

The Kasarvadavali police on Wednesday raided the lodge, located under their jurisdiction, and rescued four women, between the ages 26 and 30, from two rooms, the official said, PTI cited.

The police have booked Vaishnav and Shetty under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 143 (trafficking of person) and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, he added.

Earlier, three individuals were arrested in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly being part of a prostitution racket while several women have been rescued, the police said, reported the PTI.

The officials of the Anti Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) in Thane raided a restaurant in Uthalsar area in the district and nabbed three 'agents' including two women, said Assistant commissioner of Police Dhanaji Kshirsagar of the crime branch, according to the PTI.

During the raid, as many as eight women and a minor were rescued, and they were sent to shelter homes, he added.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 96 (procuration of child), 143(1) (trafficking of person), 3(5) (common intention) and also the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act at Rabodi police station, the official said, as per the PTI.

Prostitution racket busted in Palghar, one held; 3 women rescued

The Palghar Police in Maharashtra busted a prostitution racket on November 24 and arrested one person in connection with the matter, an official said, reported the PTI.

Three women were rescued after the sex racket was busted by the police, the official said.

"A 50-year-old has been arrested for allegedly running a prostitution racket in Maharashtra's Palghar district," said an official, as per the PTI.

Acting on inputs, the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar police raided a room near a hotel in Vasai East on Friday and busted the illegal business, he said.

Before the raid, police sent a decoy customer who contacted the accused through WhatsApp and struck a deal for Rs 29,000, he said.

Police also rescued three women, aged between 40 and 42, whom Shah used to exploit and send to his clients, said inspector Saurabhi Pawar of the Nalasopara unit of AHTC.

The accused has been booked under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, while the women have been sent to a shelter, the official added, as per the PTI.

(With PTI inputs)