TV actors,casting agent held in sex racket

The social security cell of Pune police crime branch has arrested a casting agent for Bollywood films and Hindi TV serials and her husband along with two television actresses for their alleged involvement in a prostitution racket.

The social security cell of Pune police crime branch has arrested a casting agent for Bollywood films and Hindi TV serials and her husband along with two television actresses for their alleged involvement in a prostitution racket. The casting agent,Smita Dhiwar (30) and her husband Dineshkumar (35) are from Mumbai.

After sub-inspector Ashwini Jagtap received a tip-off,the cops deposited Rs 10,000 in Dineshkumars bank account through a decoy customer on July 30 and asked the duo for two girls. Smita agreed to supply girls on July 31. She charged Rs 50,000 per girl for two hours. A room at a plush hotel in Shivajinagar area was booked for the purpose. A team led by senior inspector Bhanupratap Barge laid a trap and nabbed the four when they arrived at the hotel. They were booked under Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA).

Smita has been working as a casting agent for the past two years,a police officer said. They supply artistes for films and serials and managed to engage some of these actors in the flesh trade,the officer added.

One of the actresses,reportedly from Punjab,has acted in serials like Saathiya and Sasural Simran Ka. The other,reportedly from Gujarat,has acted in a few films including Bade Nawab. The girls told police that their income from films and serials was not sufficient and they entered flesh trade to earn more. The suspects were produced before the magistrate court on Wednesday. Smita and Dineshkumar were remanded in police custody till August 6. The two actresses were remanded in magisterial custody.

Meanwhile,in another case,after constable Sandip Holkar received a tip-off,the social security cell sleuths nabbed an alleged agent Hasan Hussain Salim Shaikh at Bhosari on Pune-Nashik Road on Wednesday. The cops also rescued a girl hailing from West Bengal. Shaikh has been booked under PITA.

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