The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has busted a prostitution racket allegedly being run under the guise of a spa in Andheri. This is the fourth such racket that the Crime Branch has busted in the past month, and the third one operating as a spa.
Manager arrested
Based on a tip-off, the Crime Branch’s Unit VIII team, led by police inspector Arun Pokharkar, raided Zasta Spa in JB Nagar at 7 p.m. on Monday. An officer said, “We rescued five women, seized ₹7,000 in cash and arrested the manager of the spa. The owners, a man and a woman, are absconding.”
The officer said the spa had been in operation for at least a couple of years. The officer said the accused has been charged with trafficking under the Indian Penal Code along with relevant sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. We have handed over the accused to the Andheri police, under whose jurisdiction the spa falls.
Employees of establishments around the spa said they had no idea about the racket till the spa was raided. An employee at a nearby clinic said, “We saw a team of policemen leaving with five women and the manager on Monday night. We have been seeing the manager working at the spa for the last couple of months.”
On July 17, the Unit IX had busted a similar racket in Saki Naka, which was run with the help of call centre set up in Lower Parel to interact with prospective customers. Three girls were rescued and one person was arrested.
On August 19, Unit IX officers raided Thai Villa Authentic Spa in Vile Parle, which was inaugurated by actor Raveena Tandon last year, and rescued six Thai women.
On August 18, Unit VII officers busted a prostitution racket at a hotel in Powai. Three women were rescued and the hotel’s cashier was arrested in the raid.
