The Crime Branch’s Anti-Human Trafficking Cell has busted a sex racket operating from a flat in a residential building in the Chembur area of Mumbai. A 60-year-old woman has been booked under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, POCSO Act, and PITA Act in connection with the case. After the raid, the woman was served a notice and released. Police rescued a 15-year-old minor girl and another woman from the premises.
Following medical examination, the rescued minor was sent to the Dongri Children's Home, while the other woman was shifted to the Deonar Women’s Shelter in Govandi.
Mumbai Police had recently intensified action against online sex rackets. As part of this ongoing crackdown, several rackets have been unearthed in the city, leading to the arrest of multiple accused and the rescue of women and minors.
During this operation, police received a tip-off about an elderly woman running a sex racket from her residence in Chembur with the involvement of minor girls and women. To verify the information, officials traced her mobile number and contacted her through a decoy customer.
The decoy posed as a client and requested access to minor girls and women. A detailed conversation took place over the phone, after which the woman invited the decoy to her Chembur residence. Acting on the lead, the decoy reached the location on Saturday evening. While financial negotiations were underway, Crime Branch officials raided the flat.
During the raid, a minor girl and a woman were rescued. Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the accused woman had been operating the sex racket from her residence.
Based on the findings, a case was registered against the elderly woman under multiple sections of relevant laws. She and the two rescued victims were then handed over to the RCF Police Station. After preliminary legal procedures, the woman was issued a notice and released, while both rescued individuals were sent for medical tests before being rehabilitated in respective state-run homes.