The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Navi Mumbai police has arrested four individuals, including a woman, for allegedly running a flesh trade operation at a lodge in Sukapur, Panvel. The accused reportedly used WhatsApp to share photos of girls to attract customers.
Prithviraj Ghodpade, senior police inspector of AHTU, received information about the illegal activities at Sai Samrat Lodge in Panvel and deployed a dummy customer for investigation.
During the operation, the undercover customer discovered that both the lodge manager and a woman were coercing women into the flesh trade. They accepted Rs 3,500 from the undercover customer in exchange for providing a girl. Once the money exchanged hands, the undercover police officer alerted the waiting police team outside, leading to a swift raid on the premises.
The police arrested four individuals identified as Sabina Momin Mulla (36), a resident of Bhagatwadi, Panvel; Jiarul Joharul Haque (34), a middleman residing in Panvel; Santosh Govind Prasad Saket (42), the lodge manager from Riva in Madhya Pradesh; and Arjun Ramlakhan Goswami (36), a lodge employee from Chatra in Jharkhand.
During the undercover operation, Saket and Goswami accepted Rs 3,500 from the customer. Subsequently, they provided Rs 1,000 to the girl involved in prostitution and retained Rs 2,000 for themselves. Additionally, they gave Rs 500 to the woman involved. Two individuals who managed the lodge are currently evading authorities.
“The accused collaborated with each other to exploit vulnerable women, accepting payment for prostitution and profiting from their earnings. The police uncovered the flesh trade operating within the lodge,” said Ghodpade. Mobile phones were seized from the accused, as they were actively using them in their operations.
A case has been registered against them at Khandeshwar Police Station under relevant sections of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.