Prostitution ring busted, TV actress among three rescued

While Ashraf Khan (22) and Saira Shafi (21) were arrested on Tuesday from suburban Goregaon, police are looking for the suspected kingpin, identified as Kabir, an official said on Wednesday.

Three women, including a small-time actress, were rescued and two others arrested for human trafficking, with police suspecting the involvement of more women from the television industry in the racket.

Three women, including a small-time actress, were rescued and two others arrested for human trafficking, with police suspecting the involvement of more women from the television industry in the racket.

While Ashraf Khan (22) and Saira Shafi (21) were arrested on Tuesday from suburban Goregaon, police are looking for the suspected kingpin, identified as Kabir, an official said on Wednesday.

Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of the Social Service Branch of the crime branch sent one of their personnel as a decoy customer to the duo. Khan and Shafi were arrested after they accepted money from the decoy customer, police said.

A small-time actress, working as an ‘extra’, was among those rescued, the police official said, adding it is suspected that more women associated with the TV industry were involved in the racket.

The accused were booked under sections 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC and various provisions of Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act . Their custody has been handed over to the Dindoshi police, the official said.