Mumbai: Cops rescue 26 women from specially-built cavity in house; 4 held

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Officials of the Mumbai Police rescued as many as 26 women kept in a specially-built cavity in a south Mumbai house, where an alleged flesh trade racket was being operated. The police arrested four persons, including three women, after conducting a raid, an official told the PTI on Wednesday.

According to the official, the Social Service Branch (SSB) of the Mumbai Police conducted the raid in the house located in a building at Lamington Road area on Tuesday on the basis of reliable information after sending decoy customers, the PTI reported.

During the raid, four persons, including three women-all allegedly involved in running the racket, were nabbed, but ten of their accomplices managed to escape, the official said, according to the PTI.

After a thorough search of the premises, the police found a specially-built cavity in the establishment where 26 women were kept, he said.

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On being rescued, the women, hailing from different states, told the police they were forcefully pushed into flesh trade, the official said.

The SSB later handed over the arrested people and the rescued women to the DB Marg police station for further probe.

The accused were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), and offences related to obscenity, he said.

The IPC section 308 was invoked due to the way the women had been kept hidden in the cavity, said the official.

(with PTI inputs)