A 45-year-old woman from Malwani, Malad, has been arrested for attempting to traffic her minor daughter by selling her for Rs 50,000 a night, said officers of Mumbai police’s Social Service Branch. Cops rescued the girl along with another woman in an undercover operation late Thursday night. In her statement, the mother said she was forced to sell her daughter, as she was unable to pay the house rent due to unemployment. According to the Social Service (SS) Branch officers, an NGO informed them that two women are selling virgin girls on demand.

With the help of the NGO, we sent a decoy posing as a customer to verify the information. They [accused] organised a meeting at a restaurant in Malad,” said an inspector from the SS Branch. He added, “During the meeting, they fixed the rate of one minor girl, 17, and a 24-year-old woman. Customers were supposed to pay Rs 50,000-Rs 65,000 for the minor and Rs 15,000 for the woman.”