Mumbai: Officials of Crime Branch unit 10 busted an online flesh trade racket, wherein the accused roped in needy women and had uploaded his number on a ‘massage services’ website.
The racket was operated at an Andheri-based hotel and the accused would upload his number on a website. The target would be upscale Indian and foreign customers, who would contact him. Police have arrested one man and rescued two women from this racket, while search for others involved in the racket is underway.
Police inspector Namdev Shinde had received a tip-off about a flesh trade being operated on a website ‘MassageRepublican.com’. Acting on this tip-off, Shinde visited the website and found a number flashing. Upon contacting that number, a meeting was set up at Hotel Skyway Inn in Andheri (E), near Saki Naka.
Accordingly, a decoy customer was sent to the hotel, where the main accused Jatun Mahadeo Jadhav, 37, had come along with two women, aged 21 and 30.
After verifying that an illegal operation was underway, police officials raided the hotel and arrested Jadhav, while rescuing the two women.
Senior inspector Sunil Mane said, the main target was to trap rich and upscale Indian as well as foreign nationals. “During the interrogation, it was revealed that Jadhav, an auto rickshaw driver, had lured in women with desperate need of money and promised to give them a cut of 30 per cent for every stint while he took the rest. We recovered cash worth Rs 17,500 and two SIM cards from Yadav,” Mane said.
A case was registered at Saki Naka police station under Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. Jadhav and his accomplices were booked for the crime. Meanwhile, the police are trying to nab the other accused.
