Bhayandar: After turning a blind eye to the menace of sex workers in and around the eastern side of Bhayandar railway station, the Thane (rural) police finally cracked down on the immoral activities.
It has been revealed that during raids, the prostitutes cleverly take shelter inside the railway station premises, thus making it technically impossible for the police team to take action while observing jurisdiction restraints.
A team from the Navghar police apprehended eight sex workers and booked them under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act, (PITA).
The sex workers were openly soliciting customers near the railway station and on the stretch of the road leading to market area in Kharigaon, which had become a permanent address for such activities.
While senior police inspector Ram Bhalsingh assured that the drive will continue till the menace is flushed out from the region, action is still awaited against the several shady lodges in the vicinity that are notorious in providing rooms to customers on a hourly basis.
“We will not only officially inform our railway counterparts and seek their help, but will conduct surprise checks at lodges and hotels in this area to ensure that these kinds of activities do not take place,” said Bhalsingh.
The immoral activities has gained momentum posing intense harassment to people especially women who sometimes are mistaken for sex workers and harassed by alcoholics and junkies, locals alleged.
