Man held for running prostitution racket in Palghar district; 3 women rescued

Palghar: Police have arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly running a prostitution racket in Maharashtra’s Palghar district and rescued three women, an official said on Sunday.

Acting on inputs, the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar police raided a room near a hotel in Vasai East on Friday and exposed the illegal business, he said.

Before the raid, police sent a decoy customer who contacted accused Rajesh Hasmukhlal Shah through WhatsApp and struck a deal for Rs 29,000, he said.

Police also rescued three women, aged between 40 and 42, whom Shah used to exploit and send to his clients, said inspector Saurabhi Pawar of the Nalla Sopara unit of AHTC.

Shah has been booked under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, while the women have been sent to a shelter, the official added.