Cops probing if more sex dens were being run

Four days after the Unit IX of the Mumbai crime branch busted a racket that was operating a prostitution den in a flat located at the high-end Lokhandwala complex in Andheri, and arrested four of its alleged controllers, investigators are now trying to find out if they ran more such units. The police suspects that there could have been up to 10 more such dens located inside flats in the city where the accused would house women and minors brought to the city after their abduction elsewhere.

The case came to light after a 24-year-old woman hailing from Agra escaped from the clutches of the accused and went back home and revealed everything to her family who then contacted the Agra police which in turn alerted the Mumbai police. A man who had promised her family a good job had allegedly brought the girl to the city in 2002 when she was 10.

The crime branch Unit IX then raided the house and arrested four accused Vimal Thakur (47), Jitendra Thakur (37) and two women Anju Thakur (43) and Poonam Thakur (45). The women Anju and Poonam would allegedly keep an eye on the girls in the city and also sell them to various men or to dance bars if no one bought them. Sources revealed that more than 600 girls had been trapped in the racket and many housed in various houses in the city.

Sources in the crime branch revealed that during the raid there were 10 young girls in the house.

“These girls were all adults but said they were the relatives of the accused who had come to visit them. Since they were not minors, we could not take them into custody but are still investigating their roles in the racket,” said an officer. He added that they suspect the women are part of the racket are scared to reveal anything. “We will talk to them to see if we can get more details about the racket,” said the officer.

All the four accused have been booked under relevant sections and placed under custody till September 20.