Mumbai: Two arrested for pushing 12-year-old into flesh trade

Representational Image

A woman from Powai and a hotel manager have been arrested for pushing a girl aged 12 years into prostitution. Durga Singh, 34, was apprehended along with Mohammed Naved, 23, in an operation conducted by Unit X of the Mumbai Crime Branch on Wednesday, December 6.

Singh allegedly pushed the girl into prostitution to make quick money. Based on credible information, Unit X conducted the operation within the jurisdiction of the MIDC police. A raid, wherein a police officer pretended to be a customer, was conducted at the Silver Cloud Hotel in Marol on December 6.

The raid led to the discovery that the girl was trafficked by Singh. Police detained Singh and Naved, who is the manager of Silver Cloud Hotel. The girl was rescued by the police and then released.

The police also seized Rs 7,000 in cash and two mobile phones. The Unit X said in a statement, "The woman and Naved, the hotel manager, engaged in the act [of trafficking] were detained, and the minor girl in their custody was released."

An officer from Unit X told mid-day, "The girl lost her father some time back and then her mother remarried. This made life difficult for the girl. Singh convinced her to get into prostitution." Singh and Naved have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.