Police zero in on prostitution racket
SOMIT SEN
[ Monday, December 01, 2003 02:58:26 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
MUMBAI: The police have stumbled upon a prostitution racket while investigating
the recent rape of a minor girl in the MLA hostel behind Mantralaya.
An investigating officer claimed, “Lakshmi alias Jolly, who was arrested with
Dharmesh Runwal in the rape case, was running a prostitution racket in the
city.’’ The police said Lakshmi claimed to be Runwal’s wife although this
was still to be verified.
Following her interrogation, the police raided the Sona beauty parlour in
Borivli (east) which was allegedly being used as a brothel. “The rape victim
was also forced to work in this shady parlour after the rape incident on August
8,’’ the officer said. The police have now arrested Saroj Thakur, the owner
of the parlour.
The police alleged that Lakshmi operated the prostitution racket along with her
mother Manju Mondal, who is based in Kolkata. The modus operandi of Manju was to
approach young girls from poor families and offer them lucrative jobs in beauty
parlours in Mumbai.
“Manju gave the girls free train tickets to Mumbai,’’ an inspector said.
On August 5, four girls, including the rape victim came to Mumbai from Kolkata
and were received at Dadar station by Lakshmi and Runwal. While three girls were
sent to the Borivli beauty parlour, the fourth was taken to MLA hostel and kept
in room number 608 for four days. On August 8, Lakshmi allegedly forced the girl
to have sex with Runwal. When she refused, Runwal allegedly raped her in
Lakshmi’s presence, the police said.
The incident was kept under wraps though a few canteen boys from MLA hostel were
aware of the rape, an officer said. The victim was sold to another customer on
August 9 and later brought to the Sona beauty parlour in Borivli.
The police have also been able to rescue another girl who was reportedly sold by
Lakshmi to a dance bar in Bhiwandi.
The social service branch plans to book Lakshmi under the Prevention of Immoral
Trafficking Act. The rape victim and the rescued girl will be the complainants
and witnesses in the case.
Said an IPS officer, “It is the rape victim who assisted the police in going
to the bottom of the case. If she hadn’t complained, the racket would have
gone unnoticed.’’
Sources said the rape victim had managed to contact her father from the beauty
parlour. He rescued her on November 14 and approached a city NGO, which in turn
got in touch with a senior IPS officer in state police. The matter was referred
to deputy police commissioner (enforcement) Pradnya Sarvade who registered the
girl’s complaint.
[Times of India, Monday, December 01, 2003]