15 September,2014 06:34 AM IST | | Shirish Vaktania
One of the three women, who ran the racket in Mira Road, was an agent for junior artistes in Bollywood; they allegedly charged Rs 20,000-Rs 50,000 per girl a day
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Close on the heels of the prostitution scandal involving an actress, the Anti-Human Trafficking Cell, along with the Kashimira police, arrested three women on Saturday, including an alleged agent for junior Bollywood artistes, for running a high-profile sex racket in Mira Road.
Two of the accused, Bhayandar resident Yasmeen Sheikh (left) and Naigaon resident Pragya Save
The police have also rescued eight female junior artistes, who have worked as backup dancers and done other bit roles in movies, according to sources. The accused have been identified as Rubeena Sheikh, the agent and resident of Lodha Aqua tower in Mira road, Bhayandar resident Yasmeen Sheikh (33) and Naigaon resident Pragya Save (33).
The victims, all of whom are in their early 20s and have worked in the film industry, were allegedly charging Rs 20,000-Rs 50,000 per day, said an official. The Kashimira Police busted the racket after receiving a tip-off about the women a few days ago. They sent in one of their officers to pose as a customer.
"We received information a few days ago about the three women running a sex racket in Mira Road. We sent an officer to pose as a customer. On Saturday, Rubeena and the other two accused came with the eight young girls near a coffee shop at Mira Road.
After they made a deal of Rs 20,000 per girl per day with our officer, we raided the spot and arrested them," said an official. Senior Inspector Anil Kadam from the Kashimira police said, "The accused were running the sex racket through their phones and finalised the deals in public places to avoid suspicion.
While all the victims have been sent to a women's home in Ulhasnagar, the accused were produced in court and remanded in police custody till September 18. All the victims work in the film industry.
We also seized one pack of condoms and Rs 3,000 in cash from the accused. We are cross-checking whether the main accused, Rubeena, has a Bollywood connection."
