26 girls, women rescued from flesh trade in Pune; five held

Pune: Pune police today claimed to have busted a prostitution racket by rescuing 26 girls and women from different lodges here and arresting five people. According to police, the girls were brought from Kolkata, Jharkhand, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and were forced into flesh trade in Pune.

"We had received a complaint from the programme head of 'The Freedom Project India', an organisation working against human trafficking and slavery. In its complaint, the organisation had said that the girls and women are being brought here from various states and forced into flesh trade," said a police officer.

Based on the complaint, decoy customers were sent to three particular lodges located on Pune-Satara road and raids were conducted, he said.

"We have booked over eight people, including the proprietors of the lodges and so far arrested five people under the relevant sections of Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA)," the officer said. He added that all the rescued girls and women have been sent to Rescue Foundation and other facilities in the city.