Pune: A minor girl was allegedly forced into prostitution after being brought to a flat in Shivane, following which the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Pune police rescued her and arrested three persons, including two women and a suspected pimp.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Pintu Gyandev Chavan (38) and Indu Santosh Nikhare (52), both residents of Sai Shraddha Apartment on Shivane Road, Uttamnagar, and Sunanda Nandu Lohkare (40), a resident near Abhinav College in Narhe.
According to police, Chavan and Nikhare were living together and allegedly operated the prostitution racket from their flat with the assistance of another woman. The AHTU received information that a minor girl had been brought to the flat and was being forced into prostitution.
Acting on the information, a team led by Police Inspector Ashalata Khapare kept a watch on the suspects for around 15 days. After confirming the information, police arranged a decoy customer.
On Sept 10, the decoy customer contacted the suspects. Chavan allegedly called him to the Sai Shraddha Apartment. When the minor girl was brought before the decoy customer, he alerted the police team waiting nearby.
The police immediately raided the flat and detained the three suspects. The minor girl was rescued and handed over to the authorities for further care and protection.
A case has been registered at Uttamnagar Police Station under relevant provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The three suspects were subsequently arrested.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police Gauhar Hasan and Assistant Commissioner of Police Shankar Khatke. Police Inspector Ashalata Khapare, Assistant Police Inspector Vikram Misal and police personnel Eshwar Andhale, Tushar Bhivarkar, Babanrao Kedar, Imrankhan Nadaf, Avinash Konde, Kiran Barde, Vaishali Ingle and Reshma Kank were part of the team.
