Maharashtra: Police bust sex racket in Thane; 5 Bangladeshi nationals among 6 held

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The Thane police on Monday claimed to have busted a sex racket in Kalyan area with the arrest of five Bangladeshi nationals and another person.

Seven Bangladeshi women, who were held captive and forced into flesh trade, have also been rescued, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III Kalyan) Sachin Gunjal said at a press conference.

On October 5, a representative of an NGO from Bangladesh informed a Pune-based social organisation that a person from the neighbouring country had brought a 19-year-old woman from there under the pretext of providing her a job. The woman was held captive at Hetutne village here and forced into prostitution, he said.

Acting on the information, a team from Manpada police station in Dombivli reached the specified spot in a chawl on October 6. They found the victim and six other women were held captive in a room and forced into sex trade, the official said.

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The women were brought to India from Bangladesh after being promised jobs and then forced into flesh trade, the police said.

The police were also informed about the presence of some of the accused men in a locality nearby. But, the accused got a hint of it and they fled into a forest area outside Angarli village, the official said.

After requisitioning additional force, the police carried out a combing operation throughout the night and nabbed five of the accused, all from Bangladesh and in the age group of 24 to 40 years, he said.

The police also arrested a 31-year-old owner of a room given on rent to the accused, he said.

During a search of the room of the accused, the police seized 25 suspected Aadhaar cards, 10 PAN cards, four birth certificates as well as Indian and Bangladeshi currency notes, the police said. The exact currency amount was not specified.

The accused have been booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, Passport (Entry into India) Rules and the Foreigners Act, the police added.

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