Actor Arrested in Thane Prostitution Bust; TV and Bengali Actresses Rescued

Thane, The police have arrested a 41-year-old actor in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly running a prostitution racket and forcing aspiring women actors into the illegal trade, an official said on Friday.Acting on a tip-off, the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar police sent two decoy customers to meet the accused at a mall on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Kashimira on Wednesday. Officials said the actor was caught red-handed while accepting money from the undercover team.Assistant Commissioner of Police Madan Ballal confirmed that during the raid, officers rescued two women who were active in television serials and Bengali cinema. “The team raided the premises and caught the accused red-handed accepting money from the decoy customers. We also rescued two women who are active in TV serials and Bangla cinema,” ACP Ballal said. The rescued women have since been sent to a shelter home for support and protection.A case has been registered against Das under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 143(3), which concerns human trafficking, and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, PITA. The rescued women have been sent to a shelter, the official said."A probe is underway to uncover the full extent of this crime and to identify if there are any other accomplices," ACP Ballal added.