Latur: Three men have been booked for allegedly running a prostitution racket at PM Lodge behind the Balaji temple in Ausa town of Latur district, police said on Friday.
The Immoral Human Trafficking Prevention Cell of Latur police raided the lodge on October 8 following specific information that women were being brought there and allegedly forced into prostitution. The operation was conducted with the help of a decoy customer and two panch witnesses.
After the decoy customer entered the lodge and gave a pre-arranged signal, the police team raided the premises at around 5.20pm. A woman was found at the lodge with the decoy customer. Police seized mobile phones, condoms and cash during the operation.
The accused have been identified as Balaji Prakash Kamble (31), a resident of Ooti village in Ausa; Mahesh Ramrao Kamble (33), a resident of Sattardharwadi village who currently lives on Yakatpur Road in Ausa; and Bapurao Vyankatrao Waghmare (53), a resident of Matola village in Ausa tehsil.
Police said the three allegedly brought women to the lodge and arranged transactions with customers for prostitution. Cash worth ₹1,500, mobile phones and other items were seized, taking the total value of the confiscated property to ₹23,500.
A case has been registered against the three at Ausa police station under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
The raid was conducted under the direction of Latur Superintendent of Police Amol Tambe and the guidance of Additional SP Mangesh Chavan. The team was led by Police Inspector Vitthal Darade, in-charge of the Immoral Human Trafficking Prevention Cell, and included Assistant Police Inspector Ajinath Patil and police personnel Lata Giri, Sudhamati Vange, Sadanand Yogi and Sachin Munde.
Further investigation is underway.
