Sex racket busted in Navi Mumbai, eight women rescued

Thane: The Navi Mumbai police have rescued eight women after busting a sex racket with the arrest of an autorickshaw driver, an official said on Saturday.

Police recently received a tip-off about a gang sending women to various lodges for prostitution after soliciting customers online, said inspector Prithviraj Ghorpade of the anti-human trafficking cell of Navi Mumbai police.

With the help of a decoy customer, they recently nabbed the auto driver, identified as Pradeep Yadav, who used to ferry the women to hotels, the official said.

The police first rescued a woman after Yadav’s questioning. Based on the information she provided, they rescued eight women from a room at Shiravane in the Nerul area.

Police also arrested two men, identified as Vishnu, alias Vikaskumar Janki Yadav (28), and Indrajit Indradev Prasad (63) from there, he said.

The suspected kingpin of the racket, Shambu Upadhyaya, is at large, the official said.

An FIR has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Turbhe police station, he added.