Banker among two held for running prostitution racket

PUNE: An assistant manager with a nationalised bank, posted in a branch in rural Baramati, and an out-of-job software engineer landed in police custody on Sunday for allegedly running a prostitution racket through an escort service website.
Police are also looking for their woman associate, who would bring girls to the duo for their clientele, comprising working professionals and small-time businessmen. The duo would locate isolated properties and hire them on rent for their customers, the police said.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone IV) Pankaj Deshmukh told TOI, “We have arrested assistant bank manager Ravikant Baleshwar Paswan (34), hailing from Muzaffarpur in Bihar and residing at Sus Road, and software engineer Deepak Jayprakash Sharma (36), a native of Jharsuguda in Odisha and currently residing at Balewadi, on Sunday.”
A city court remanded the duo in police custody till July 4.
The police said the duo’s arrest was a sequel to the Chatushrungi police’s raid on a row house in Baner on June 23 and the rescue of four women. The police then arrested Suresh Ranvir (35) of Baner and the row house owner, Naksen Gajghate (52), of Bavdhan. Their interrogation led the police to Paswan and Sharma.
Deshmukh said, “Paswan and Sharma came together in November 2019 and started an interactive website for accepting bookings. We have seized 11 cellphones, four laptops and a tablet, besides an SUV.”