The Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar police have busted a racket where Maharashtrian women are lured on the pretext of police jobs in Rajasthan, where they are sold as brides.One woman, a single mother aged 27, has been rescued and the groom arrested. The police said there is at least one more Maharashtrian woman trapped in Rajasthan. They suspect more cases might emerge once the mastermind is nabbed.

The Arnala police have arrested Barmer resident Chetan Bharti, 32, who paid Rs 2 lakh to marry the woman, who was trapped on Instagram by the mastermind, truck driver Dinesh Puri. Rajasthan has one of the lowest sex ratios among large Indian states.