The Pune city police rescued two Bangladeshi women who were dragged into a sex racket after being illegally brought to India with the assurance of getting them jobs at beauty salons. Police have arrested an alleged sex racketeer Raju Patil, a resident of Dhankawadi. Police have launched a search for his wife who they said is also involved in the crime. An FIR was lodged at the Bharati Vidyapeeth police station on Friday under Sections 143,127(2), 127(3), 115(2), 351(2), 352, 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. According to police, one of the women called the control room of the Pune city police on Friday alleging she was being forcefully taken for prostitution. The information was passed on to the Bharati Vidyapeeth police station. Soon, a team led by assistant police inspector Swapnil Patil launched a search operation. Police rescued the woman safely from Katraj area. Police said the 22-year-old woman was found to be a native of Bangladesh. Police suspect that some agents brought her to India by illegally crossing the international border at West Bengal, on the assurance of getting her a job at a beauty parlour. She was later brought to Pune and forced into prostitution by the sex racketeers about two years ago. Unable to bear the harassment, she managed to call the police control room on Friday. After being rescued, the woman told the police about one more Bangladeshi woman, who too was similarly forced into prostitution about a month ago. Acting on a tip-off, a team led by senior police inspector Rahulkumar Khilare rescued a 20-year-old Bangladeshi woman from an apartment in Ambegaon Pathar area. “Both women were promised jobs at beauty salons but later dragged into prostitution. Within 24 hours, we arrested an accused who forcibly kept a victim woman at his apartment. A court has sent him to police custody for three days. A search for his wife is on,” said senior inspector Khilare. Police said further investigation is being conducted to find out the other persons involved in bringing the victims from Bangladesh to India and then handing them over to local sex racketeers.
