Pune: Nine women have been rescued from sex racketeers operating from two bungalows in Koregaon Park (KP). Sleuths from the anti-human trafficking unit (AHTU) raided the bungalows on Monday and arrested four accused. Officials said that 12 more accused, including the masterminds, are still at large.
The first raid was conducted at a row house in Gold Enclave Society with the help of the local police. Four girls who hail from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Guwahati and Delhi were rescued. One agent, identified as Raju Sharma, was arrested, while his accomplices Pintu Marishas, who is the main accused, Krishna Yadav, Raju Sheth, Ishwari Prasad Bhadrai, are on the run.
The second raid was carried out at a bungalow in Clover Garden society and five girls were rescued. The girls are from Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai and West Bengal. Two agents, Suraj Yadav (22) and Rajendra Gupta (31), have been arrested. Their 10 accomplices are absconding.
According to the police, the prostitution racketeers have agents in various cities and states who lure girls under the pretext of giving them jobs and then force them into prostitution.
DCP (Crime) Pankaj Dahane said, “We have registered two FIRs with Koregaon Park police station against 16 accused persons for offences under relevant sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. The arrested accused have been remanded in police custody till July 15. The rescued girls have been shifted to a shelter home. Investigations are on to trace the absconding accused persons.”
The investigation team included ACP Sanjay Nikam, senior Police Inspector Sanjay Patil, Assistant Police Inspectors Sampat Pawar, Sheetal Bhalekar, Chandrakant Jadhav and police personnel Pramod Mhetre, Sanjay Girme, Nitin Telange, Namdev Shelar, Tushar Alhat, Pradip Shelar, Sachin Kadam, Rajendra Kachre, Vijay Kale, Rajesh Umbre, Sandip Gaikwad, Sachin Shinde, Kavita Nalawade, Gitanjali Jadhav and Saraswati Kangne.
