The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police commissionerate have busted yet another high profile prostitution racket which was being operated through popular dating applications and online media platforms. While a person identified as Babloo Rajendraprasad Gupta (27) whose role was to ferry the women to local lodges in his auto-rickshaw has been arrested, the kingpin of the prostitution racket and his accomplice are still at large. The police team rescued a woman from the clutches of the flesh trade racketeers and sent her to the rehabilitation center.
Acting on a tip-off that a gang was facilitating prostitution activities by posting advertisements for escort services on an online classifieds website, a team led by Senior Police Inspector- Sampatrao Patil under the instructions of DCP (Crime)- Dr. Mahesh Patil established contact with the pimps through a decoy customer. After confirming the authenticity of the information , the police laid a trap and apprehended Gupta while he was closing the sex trade deal with the police decoy near a lodge in Kashimira. Investigations revealed that the gang posted advertisements on portals offering escort services.
After a potential customer established contact, the gang members used social messaging platforms including-WhatsApp application to send the photographs of women they had to offer. Not ruling out more arrests in the case, an investigating officer said, “While two more people including the mastermind who floated the advertisements have been identified and will be behind bars soon. A detailed probe was on.”
Meanwhile an offence under the relevant sections of the IPC and the stringent Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) has been registered against Gupta who is originally a native of Jharkhand and presently stayed in the Green Village area of Kashimira.
