7th accused arrested in Mumbai porn racket case

The racket was busted when the Mumbai Police raided a bungalow and arrested five people for allegedly persuading young women and men under the pretext of offering them roles in web series and then forcing them to act in pornographic films

A seventh accused in the pornography racket busted in Mumbai on February 4 was arrested on Monday, people aware of the matter said. They added Umesh Kamat, the accused, is a resident of Mumbai’s Vashi.

Representational Image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The racket was busted when the Mumbai Police raided a bungalow and arrested five people for allegedly persuading young women and men under the pretext of offering them roles in web series and short films and then forcing them to act in pornographic films.

The people said Kamat’s name cropped up during the interrogation of model-actress Gehana Vasisth, who was arrested in the case on February 6. Kamat worked for a UK-based firm as a coordinator and allegedly received obscene videos from Vasisth. The videos were allegedly uploaded on a mobile app in the UK, said a police officer.

Rowa Khan alias Yasmeen, who claims to be a producer-director, photographer Monu Sharma and creative director Pratibha Nalawade, and actors Arish Shaikh and Bhanu Thakur have also been arrested in the case. Vasisth was arrested on the basis of the questioning of the five.

The Mumbai Police has said it seized instruments worth Rs5.68 lakh used for shooting at the bungalow. Khan allegedly ran the mobile application used to upload the porn videos, they added.

“Several young men and women come to Mumbai to try their luck in the film and television industry. This gang took advantage of such aspiring actors and lured them by offering roles in short film or web series and eventually pushed them for acting in porn films,” said assistant police inspector Laxmikant Salunkhe. He added the gang had been operating for two years and exploited many men and women.

Salunkhe said the main accused in the case described herself as a casting director and assured newcomers work in web series. He added once an agreement was signed with the aspiring artists, the accused allegedly forced them to do obscene acts. Salunkhe said the artists would be threatened and asked to pay entire shooting charges if they refused. He added the victims were paid Rs5,000 to Rs20,000 daily if they did what they were asked to.