The sex workers have alleged that the police showed high-handedness, and that sufficient women officers were not present during the raid. ExpressTWO ENQUIRIES are being held into allegations by sex workers at the brothel in the Simplex building on Grant Road that the police took away gold and cash during a massive raid conducted in May at 75 rooms in the building. The women have also alleged police “high-handedness” during the raid, where officers accompanied by informers broke open doors, damaged furniture without video-recording the process and without “sufficient” woman officers.
Police officers who were in the raiding team said they took away the valuables for “safekeeping” and they are in the process of handing them over. The women, however, say they were not told that their valuables had been taken away, nor did the police give them a list of what they took away. In addition, their cupboards and safes had been broken into.
The principal secretary to the Chief Minister has ordered Pune Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to look into the matter after he received a letter from an organisation that works for devdasis, transgenders, commercial sex workers (CSW) and other disadvantaged sections. The Mumbai Police Commissioner has also ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Zone II, to probe the raid, one of the biggest conducted by the Mumbai Police.
The state CID will conduct a preliminary enquiry into the raid, conducted on the intervening night of May 25 and 26.
The raid was conducted on instructions from the top brass and was led by DCP (Port Zone) Rashmi Karandikar and officers from several police stations in South Mumbai. As many as 134 girls were rescued and 29 owners were arrested during the raid.
Those arrested alleged that when they returned to their rooms, they found several valuables, including gold and money, missing. The police say they prepared a panchnama of the seizure, but several women told The Indian Express they were not provided this list.
A 28-year-old woman, who owns a room on the first floor of the building, said, “I had nearly Rs 1 lakh in my cupboard along with two anklets and two earrings. On May 25 night, they suddenly barged into the room and took us away. I was released on bail on July 18. When I returned to the room, I found goods damaged and the money and valuables gone. At the court, they just gave me Rs 9,000 and two of my mobile phones. I did not get anything else back.”
Another 38-year-old woman from the first floor of the building said, “When I returned, I got my mangalsutra and three earrings. However, 14 bangles and a necklace I had made for my daughter’s wedding were missing. Also, of the Rs 1.5 lakh that I had kept in a safe in my cupboard, Rs 50,000 was missing.”
Repeated calls and messages to DCP Karandikar went unanswered. Responding to the allegations, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Girgaum division, Shantanu Pawar, who was part of the raid, said, “We seized valuables that were left behind after the women were either arrested or taken to shelter homes. It was to keep them safe and ensure that no unwanted elements took them away. The women who have been released can go and collect the valuables from the local police station.”
The women, however, alleged that if police wanted to keep their valuables safe, they should not have broken open cupboards and safes. The women further alleged that apart from the loss of gold and cash, police also damaged their property. “They broke our doors and even opened the safes. We returned to find all our property, including doors to the rooms, damaged. In one case, they took away a deity’s idol. In the past too, police have conducted raids, but they have never caused as much destruction,” the woman alleged.
An officer, who has conducted raids at the same spot in the past, said brothels operating from the area was a known fact. “We conduct raids only when we get a tip-off about minors or Bangladeshi women being involved. I am not sure why such a massive raid was conducted this time,” the officer told The Indian Express.
The sex workers approached Vilas Rupawate, who heads Durbal Ghatak Aghadi, who then wrote an application to Bhushan Gagrani, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, on the issue.
Gagrani said, “I have asked the Pune CID to conduct a preliminary enquiry and if there is any seriousness found, the government may order a formal investigation.”
Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Atulchandra Kulkarni of Pune CID said he had received the complaint and they will be investigating the matter.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve said he was aware of the complaint and had asked the DCP (Zone II) Rajiv Jain to conduct an enquiry.
Jain said, “We have received the application about the allegations and will be conducting an enquiry.”
