Two held for running prostitution racket

A 53-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were arrested by Mumbai crime branch, for running a prostitution racket in Goregaon on Sunday. A 16-year-old girl and two

A 53-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were arrested by Mumbai crime branch, for running a prostitution racket in Goregaon on Sunday. A 16-year-old girl and two 22-year-old women were rescued by unit 12 officers after they busted the racket outside Oberoi Mall in Goregaon. Investigation revealed that the arrested accused, Tushar Chandrakant Daruwala, 53, and Afrin Saba Abdul Salim Khan, 25, both residents of Virar, lured schoolgirls from lower economic backgrounds with huge sums of money and pushed them into prostitution.

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“A policeman on Saturday posed as a dummy customer and negotiated with Daruwala who charged Rs 15,000 for an adult woman and Rs 40,000 for a minor girl per day,” said inspector Sagar Sivalkar, unit 12. After the accused sent the minor girl’s picture, a police team was formed and a trap was laid near Oberoi Mall where the accused came with the women.

“A 16-year-old and two 22-year-olds were rescued from a car. Both accused were arrested and the car was also seized,” added Sivalkar.

“The accused had been operating the racket for the past one year. Khan recently befriended the minor and assured her Rs 30,000 per day for participating in the racket,” said Akbar Pathan, DCP (crime branch).