The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Crime Branch Navi Mumbai Police has arrested a 55-year-old woman and rescued a girl who was forced into the sex trade. The woman was running the operation from an apartment in Belapur.
The AHTU received a complaint from Smile Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO, regarding illegal activities at Snehlaya Apartment in Sector 1A, Belapur.
According to the complaint, the accused woman contacted prospective customers via WhatsApp, sharing photos of the girl and inviting customers to the apartment for flesh trade. The arrested woman, identified as Kanankmma, allegedly charged Rs 2,500 from each customer.
Based on this information, the AHTU team set up a sting operation by sending in a dummy customer on Friday night. After confirming the complaint, the dummy customer alerted the police. The police team, already positioned outside the building, entered the apartment and caught the woman. They found items, including condoms, on the premises and rescued a woman who was being forced into the flesh trade. According to the police, the accused woman kept the majority of the earnings, giving only a small amount to the rescued girl.
A case has been registered at Belapur Police Station under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956.