Mumbai police have busted an international prostitution racket trafficking Bangladeshi women to Mumbai. Fourteen women were rescued and eight accused arrested, exposing a well-organised cross-border network.
Eight people have been arrested in the case. Representation pic
The Zone XI police have busted an international prostitution racket and arrested eight people involved in trafficking young women from Bangladesh to India under the guise of job opportunities in hospitals, medical sector, and domestic work. The police have also rescued 15 people, including 14 Bangladeshi women and a man.
Police said that the network was operating across international borders, with traffickers promising lucrative salaries to vulnerable women in Bangladesh and later coercing them into prostitution upon arrival in India.
“This was not just a local racket. It was a well-structured, organised cross-border syndicate,” said a senior police officer from Zone XI.
The case unfolded on June 7 when Malwani police were verifying suspected illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in the area. During a raid in Malwani, three Bangladeshi women and an agent identified as Mansar Ahmad Mohammad Hasan Shakeel were detained. Interrogation revealed a sprawling trafficking network spanning from Bangladesh to Mumbai.
Based on the findings, police registered a case under relevant sections and arrested Shakeel, while the women were sent to a rescue and rehabilitation centre.
To bust the trafficking network, a special team was formed under the guidance of DCP Anand Bhoite (Zone XI) and supervised by Woman Police Inspector Maya Danake (Malwani). The team also included PSI Arun Sawant (Malwani ATC), PSI Shrikant Magar (Kandivli ATC), and PSI Pramod Nimbalkar (Borivli ATC).
“Our team has so far rescued 14 women and one man, all Bangladeshi nationals. We have arrested eight accused and exposed the entire trafficking chain,” Zone XI DCP Anand Bhoite said, adding, “Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding accused.”
Police have identified the arrested accused as Jahangir Vishwas, 52, a resident of West Bengal; Kamlesh Sarkar, 45, also from West Bengal; Akash alias Shaheen Maldar, 28, a resident of Diva in Thane; Mohammed Razzaque Gazi alias Raja, 23, a resident of Malwani in Malad; Shahbaz Husain Ahmad Khan, 25, also from Malwani; Mohammad Owaiz Kasim Shaikh, 25, from Malwani; Laxman Yadav, a resident of Grant Road; Mansar Mohammad Shaikh, 53, and Awaiz Khan, both from Malwani. Two accused, identified as Sanjiv, alias Bachchan, and Mehndi Hasan, are absconding, said police.
Police said the racket operated with a clear chain of command. A Bangladeshi national identified as Farooq (wanted) supplied women from Bangladesh to India, charging '20,000 per victim. He lured financially distressed women (aged between 19 and 30) with false promises of monthly salaries between '40,000 and '50,000 in the Indian service sector.
Explaining how the racket operated, a senior police officer said that the agents in India, such as Yadav and Shaikh (both arrested), and the absconders, Bachchan and Mehndi, ran prostitution operations from rented accommodations across Mumbai. They coordinated with Vishwas (arrested), who relayed the demand to Farooq in Bangladesh. Once the price was agreed upon, funds were arranged and sent via Sarkar (arrested), who facilitated international transfers.
According to the police, Farooq would then smuggle the victims to the Bangladesh-India border and hand them over to Jahangir, who charged '4000 per delivery. The girls were temporarily housed in West Bengal before being sent to Mumbai through middlemen — Maldar and Gazi (both arrested).
Upon arrival in Mumbai, the women were distributed to local agents who placed them in rented flats and forced them into prostitution on a monthly salary basis. Sarkar allegedly took a 10 per cent commission from each woman’s salary and facilitated online transfers to their families in Bangladesh.
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