27 November,2020 07:47 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
This picture has been used for representational purposes
Acting on a tip-off by an NGO, the Social Services Branch (SSB) arrested a 25-year-old woman for selling her niece for just Rs 1.30 lakh. The police have also arrested her 29-year-old partner who was involved in transporting the minor from one place to another. According to the police, the couple was involved in selling minor girls.
According to crime branch officials, senior PI Sandesh Rewale of SS Branch received a tip-off from an NGO and a trap was laid at Bandra's Hill Road by sending a dummy customer." Our information was very specific that the couple has been involved in selling minors by telling their customers that the girls are virgins and earning in lakhs," said an officer from SS branch.
SS Branch officials then contacted the couple on WhatsApp. "We posed as dummy customers and told them that we want a virgin and fixed the rate at Rs 1.30 lakh. We even gave them a token amount of Rs 10,000," the officer added.
After receiving the token amount, the couple came to Hill Road along with the minor girl. The officer who was waiting for them at the spot arrested both the accused and rescued the girl who has been sent to a shelter.
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The police registered a case under several sections of the IPC at Bandra police station.
During interrogation of the duo, the police found that the accused was into prostitution and was now living with her partner who is an auto driver. The two have been in girl child trafficking for a while. "The investigation has revealed that so far she has sold 15 minor girls," the officer added more.
The accused have been handed over to the Bandra Police after for further investigation.
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