Mira-Bhayandar: The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police has busted a high-profile prostitution racket in which a beautician tried to sell a minor girl for ₹2 lakh.
The suspect, Kavita Sankarprajapati Singh alias Ritu, 30, is a resident of Ulhasnagar. She was arrested from a hotel in Kashimira on Thursday, and two girls aged 15 and 19 years were rescued and sent to a welfare home.
This is how police caught Ritu red-handed:
Acting on a tip-off that a woman was actively involved in the trafficking of minor girls in Thane district, the AHTU team deputed a decoy who established contact and struck a deal with the woman. After confirmation, the police personnel laid a trap at the hotel and caught Ritu red-handed while accepting money. Investigations revealed that Ritu worked at a unisex parlour in Dombivali where she looked for potential customers.
Meanwhile, an offence has been registered under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) and provisions of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The woman was remanded in police custody after being produced before the district sessions court in Thane. The case has been handed over to the Kashimira police for further investigation.