MUMBAI: The father of two minor girls has been named as a key accused in a prostitution racket busted by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Navi Mumbai police.
According to the police, the case came to light on February 20, after senior police inspector Prithviraj Ghorpade of the AHTU was told that a 25-year-old man was supplying minor girls to customers in Navi Mumbai and charging them ₹1.5 lakh each. “Since the girls were minors and could not be checked into hotels or lodges, the accused used to drop them at locations specified by clients,” the officer said.
A senior police officer said, “During the course of investigation, it emerged that the father himself facilitated the exploitation of the two minor girls despite being fully aware of their age.” The police added that the father even shared photos of his daughters with the co-accused and was set to be paid for the deal.
Acting on the tip-off, the AHTU deployed a decoy customer and laid a trap near the Jagannath Changa Koli Chowk in Sector 11. The accused, a resident of Koparkhairane, was arrested during the operation and the two girls aged 16 and 14, originally from Rajasthan, were rescued.
The girls then told the police that their own father had pushed them into prostitution. “The father is currently absconding and teams have been formed to trace him,” the police officer added. A case has been registered at CBD Belapur police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The arrested accused has been remanded to police custody up to February 23.