Mumbai Crime: Cops raid sex toy shops in SoBo, arrest seller

The raid was conducted at Musafirkhana on Friday

The Mumbai police is silencing a distinct buzz in south Mumbai ­ - that of sex toys. Cracking down on the illegal sale of the products, cops recovered sex toys worth over R41,000 in a raid at Musafirkhana on Friday.

mid-day had reported in 'Top crop cracks the whip on sex toys' on June 29 report about the city Commissioner of Police promising action against those found selling the illegal products.

Prior to the raid, mid-day had carried a series of reports about these products being sold in markets in south Mumbai. Some retailers had claimed they'd been in the business for 40 years without facing any police action.

After those reports were published, CP Sanjay Barve asked the DCPs and the crime branch to take action against violators. Following his instruction, zone-1 DCP Abhishek Trimukhe formed a team at MRA Marg police station and asked them to conduct a thorough recce of such shops.

Also Read: Sex Toys Racket: Why such a big deal over silly rubber and silicone?

After the cops were able to confirm the shops selling the products, they decided to conduct a raid. Once they received a go-ahead from Trimukhe, they went to Musafirkhana and conducted a raid, where sex toys worth R41,950 were seized. Sources told mid-day that most of the sex toy retailers had either stopped selling products or kept the adult toys concealed.

Senior inspector of MRA Marg police station, Sanjay Kadam, said, "We carried out a raid at Musafirkhana and seized sex toys kept on display for sale. We have also arrested one Mohammad Aiyyaz Shaikh, 43, and booked him under section 292 (sale, etc., of obscene books, etc) of the Indian Penal Code."

Also Read: Sex toys worth Rs 8 crore confiscated in two years in Mumbai

'No specific law banning sex toys'

Advocate Naveen Chomal told mid-day that sex toys aren't banned in the country, "There's no specific law in India banning sex toys. Using them is purely a matter of personal choice. I think the law must not interfere in the private lives of citizens in our democratic set up. At the most, the display of sex toys for sale on roadside may attract legal provisions, but their sale per se should not be interfered with."

Also Read: Sex toys in Mumbai: The pleasure is all yours, so what's the fuss about?

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