Mumbai: Two alleged sex workers, in a bid to escape the police raid, died after falling from the third floor of a building in Grant Road on Tuesday evening. Three women were detained for allegedly running the prostitution racket.
According to the D.B. Marg police, the deceased have been identified as Anjara Sheikh (50) and Salma Sheikh (30). They panicked when one of the boys on the ground floor alerted them of a police patrol team raiding their premises at 10 p.m. The two women tried to sneak out through a window on the third floor of Om Niwas building.
Police sub-inspector Ranjit Kasle, who is investigating the case, said, “The women had created an emergency exit at the back of the building, with the help of pipe handles and a rope. On Tuesday night, they were trying to flee using the route. While getting down, Salma lost her balance and fell on Anjara, who was below her. Both of them fell on their back and sustained major head injuries.”
They were taken to J.J. hospital in Byculla, where Anjara was declared dead before admission, while Salma succumbed in the early hours of Wednesday, a doctor said. The post-mortem put the cause of death as severe head injuries.
“The family of the deceased women have requested anonymity. Anjara’s body was collected by her teenage son, who told us that she was a single mother and prostitution was the only way for her to take care of him. Salma’s body was collected by her younger sister, who was unable to give a statement owing to the shock of her sister’s death. The women hailed from West Bengal and had been into the business for many years,” Mr. Kasle said.
The police contacted their families using their Aadhaar card and mobile phone found at the spot.
At Om Niwas, other sex workers said they did not recognise Anjara and Salma, as the two never used their real names at work. They did, however, say the emergency escape route was made two months ago and that it had been used a couple of times.
The police are questioning the three detained women.
