The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Pune Police raided a spa centre operating under the guise of a massage centre in Viman Nagar and arrested its manager for allegedly forcing a minor girl and three women into prostitution.
The raid was conducted at around 3:30pm on July 7 at Silent Spa, located in the East Court Building in Viman Nagar. Based on a complaint filed by Assistant Police Sub-Inspector Ishwar Mhatardev Andhale at the Airport Police Station, police arrested the spa manager, Rehanuddin Abul Kalam (22), a resident of Laman Vasti, Yerawada. A case has also been registered against the spa owner, identified as Akshay Sir, who is currently absconding.
According to the police, they had received specific information that prostitution was being carried out under the cover of massage services at the spa. Acting on the tip-off, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit sent a decoy customer to the premises. After receiving the pre-arranged signal from the decoy, the police team raided the spa.
During the operation, officers rescued one minor girl and three women who were allegedly being exploited for prostitution. The victims were rescued safely, while the spa manager was taken into custody.
Police are probing the involvement of the spa owner and whether the racket has links to a larger human trafficking network. Furthermore, the matter is under investigation.
