Mumbai: In a significant crackdown on human trafficking, the Mumbai Police have busted an international sex racket operating out of a hotel in Andheri East, rescuing two Ugandan women who were allegedly forced into prostitution. Four hotel employees have been arrested in connection with the case, while the hotel owner and an alleged foreign handler remain absconding.
According to a report by ANI, police raided Hotel Villa Palace located near the Airport Metro Station in Andheri (East). During the operation, officers uncovered evidence suggesting that the victims’ movements were restricted and that due procedure for maintaining foreign guest records had been flouted. Preliminary findings also point to possible links with a larger human trafficking network operating across cities.
The arrested accused include four staff members of the hotel. The owner, identified as Akshay Dilip Shedge, and a Kenyan national, allegedly acting as a handler, identified as Jasmine, are currently on the run. Police teams have been formed to trace and apprehend the absconding accused.
The development comes barely a day after another major crackdown along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, where the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) Crime Branch Unit 1 dismantled a high-profile racket operating out of Selfie Dhaba Lodging and Boarding in the Naigaon police jurisdiction. Seven brokers were arrested and 10 women rescued, including a 14-year-old minor.
The accused are facing charges under the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act (PITA) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The operation marks a significant success for the MBVV Crime Branch in their ongoing effort to sanitise the highway belt of organised crime and human trafficking.
The back-to-back busts now raise uncomfortable questions on how such rackets are operating openly in city hotels and highway establishments without detection.
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