NAVI MUMBAI: The Ulwe police have arrested four men, including a former BJP corporator and a nominated Shiv Sena corporator, for allegedly trafficking two minor girls for prostitution. The girls, aged 17 and 13, were rescued during a raid on a lodge in Ulwe on June 17.
The raid at La Residency Lodge in Sector 19 led to the rescue of the girls and the busting of an alleged prostitution racket operating from the premises.
The FIR recognised Sarika Bajali Gaikwad, 33, a spa owner from CBD Belapur, as the prime accused. Police alleged that Gaikwad trafficked the minors, forced them into prostitution, and used the money for her own livelihood.
Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Pramod Kamal Patil, 43, a real estate businessman from Pen; Upendra Anant Koladkar, 32, a sculptor and nominated corporator affiliated with the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction); Achyut Gajanan Patil, 42, a contractor from Pen; and Kunal Vikas Naik, 31, a transport businessman and former nominated BJP corporator from Pen.
The accused were produced before a court, which remanded them to police custody till June 24. During the raid, police seized cash, three mobile phones and other material worth ₹38,100, including toy currency allegedly used in the decoy operation.
The case has been registered under Sections 96(procuration of a child), 98(selling child for purposes of prostitution), 143(3)(human trafficking) and 143(5)(trafficking more than one child) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 3(keeping or managing a brothel), 4(living on the earnings of prostitution) and 5(procuring a person for prostitution) of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, Sections 16(abetment of child sexual abuse), 17(abetment of offences) and 18(protection of children from sexual offences) of the POCSO Act, and Sections 81(sale and procurement of children for any purpose) and 87(abetment of any offense under the Act) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
The rescued girls have been placed under protection.
