Police bust prostitution racket in Ranjangaon; Two women rescued

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Police raided a two-storey house near Hotel Ding Dong in Ranjangaon Shivar on Friday night and uncovered an alleged prostitution racket. Two women were rescued, and items worth Rs 27,530 were seized during the operation. Three accused, including the brothel operator, are absconding.

Acting on a tip-off, a special team led by deputy commissioner of police Pankaj Atulkar launched the raid around 9.43 pm. The team, comprising police inspector Praveena Yadav, assistant police inspector Vaibhav More, and women constables, discovered that two women were being held and forced into prostitution. The victims were immediately rescued. Police detained two customers Milind Pawar of Khirdi (Vaijapur taluka) and Lalit Badgujar of Sainagar, Cidco N-4. The women told police they had been offered catering jobs but were later coerced into the sex trade. A case has been registered against the accused brothel operator and hotel owner Vicky Hailinge, Rahul Bankar of Ranjangaon, and the house owner. All three are currently on the run, and Waluj MIDC police are investigating further.