Pune: The crime branch on Friday night arrested two women agents for allegedly running a high-profile
sex racket and rescued four women, including one each from Uzbekistan and Russia.
The arrests were made following a tip-off received by inspector Ram Rajmane from the anti-organised crime cell (north region). As per the informant, two pimps from Mumbai were to travel to Pune with four women below the bridge of Orchid Hotel Chowk in Balewadi.
Accordingly, a decoy customer contacted the agents and confirmed the time and place of their arrival. Subsequently, a team from the crime branch and the Hinjewadi police jointly laid a trap and nabbed the suspects as soon as they arrived in two separate vehicles. The action was overseen by assistant commissioner of police Samir Shaikh.
The agents from Andheri (West) were arrested under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. "We have rescued four women, including two from Uzbekistan and Russia. The suspects will be in police custody remand till December 27," police said.
Shaikh said, "The agents were operating in the guise of freelance event management business. They used to induce struggling models and those with financial constraints into prostitution for getting fast money. The agents shared photographs of girls with customers on a social networking site."
He added: "The Uzbekistani and Russian are 26-27 years old. They came to Mumbai on a tourist visa on November 3. We will deport them to their respective countries."
