Sex racket busted in Navi Mumbai; three held, six women rescued

Thane: The Navi Mumbai police have busted a sex racket in a raid at a lodging and boarding facility and arrested three persons, an official said on Saturday.

Based on a tip-off, the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell (AHTC) of the Crime Branch raided the premises in the Narpoli area of Kon in Panvel on Thursday, the official said.

Three persons were arrested, and six women were rescued from the establishment, he said.

Senior inspector Pritviraj Ghorpade said the police used a decoy customer to bust the racket and arrested the manager of the lodge and two other employees.

Efforts are underway to trace the fourth accused involved in the illegal activity, he said.

He said an FIR has been registered at the Panvel Taluka police station under the Prevention of Immoral Traffic (PITA) Act and sections 370(2) (trafficking of person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).