Mira Bhayandar: The Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police busted a prostitution racket that was clandestinely operating from a lodge in Kashimira on Tuesday night.
Notably, the illegally operating lodge had been recently demolished by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) but the owner had managed to reconstruct the structure which hints at an alleged nexus between the racketeers and the civic authorities.
Acting on a tip-off, Police Inspector- Samir Ahirao deputed the AHTU team which sent two decoy customers to Hotel Stay-In, a notorious lodging and boarding facility located in the Mira Gaothan area adjacent to the service road on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway in Kashimira.
After confirmation, a team led by ASI- Umesh Patil swooped down on the establishment at around 5:45 pm on Tuesday and apprehended three people including the manager- Shriniwas Shetty (51), waiters-Bilbarprasad Gupta (28) and Indradev Yadav (41) for allegedly facilitating girls to soliciting customers.
Two women were rescued and sent to the welfare home after necessary formalities. However, the owner and operator who are the actual beneficiaries of the illegal activities managed to evade the police dragnet, till reports last came in.
A case under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) has been registered at the Kashimira police station against the accused, who have been remanded to custody. Further investigations were on.
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