Mumbai: A 40-year-old woman was sentenced to 10-years-jail by a sessions court in Dindoshi for using her room for prostitution of a minor.
The court found her guilty under provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. The woman had sought leniency in her sentencing and told the court that she worked as domestic help and had to look after three children of her son as he became intellectually disabled after his wife had deserted him.
Additional Sessions Judge SU Baghele said in his judgment that though the offences are serious in nature, the mitigating circumstances are also to be looked into while awarding the sentence. He said that the victim who was on the verge of attaining majority was indulging in prostitution voluntarily to support her family financially. He noted that the woman had not coerced the victim and had not confined her. Apart from this, the court said that the circumstances need to be looked into as she needs to look after the children of her incapable son.
Prosecutor Sachin Jadhav said that the police had got a tip-off that the woman was carrying out prostitution in her room by getting girls for customers and using her room for the activity. They had laid a trap by sending a bogus customer with money and she was caught red-handed while standing outside the room that she locked from outside while the 17-year-old girl was with the bogus customer. During the trial, the victim had appeared as a witness but told the court that she had engaged in prostitution due to her family’s financial condition and that she was not compelled by the woman.
