Two held, five booked for trafficking Bangladeshi woman for sex racket; rape charge invoked

Thane: The Navi Mumbai police have arrested two persons and registered a case against five others for allegedly raping and trafficking a 24-year-old woman from Bangladesh and selling her for Rs 2 lakh for flesh trade, an official said on Thursday.

The police have also slapped the charge of rape against the accused, he said.

The victim hails from Khulna district in Bangladesh, assistant inspector Nilesh Phule of Nerul police station in Navi Mumbai said.

"Some agents tricked the victim into coming to India on the promise of a job. After she arrived in India, a man allegedly raped her. Some other accused later took her to a lodge on Grant Road in Mumbai and handed her over to those operating a sex racket. They forced her into flesh trade," he said.

"The agents later took the victim and sold her to two other accused for Rs 2 lakh. She was again forced to become part of a sex racket," he added.

The arrested duo, including a woman, was identified as Amir Azam (27) and Shaifali Jahangir Mulla (34), both from Nerul, he said.

The case against them was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of rape, human trafficking of person, voluntarily causing hurt, common intention, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, the Passport (Entry into India) Act and the Foreigners Act, he said.