School teacher arrested for running prostitution racket in Thane | Mumbai news
Thane: The Anti-Human Trafficking Cell of the Thane crime branch arrested a schoolteacher on Wednesday from Mumbai for allegedly operating a prostitution racket in Thane. The accused, who is employed at a reputed Mumbai school for the past 15 years, had reportedly been involved in the illegal trade for the last three years.
Acting on a tip-off, senior police inspector Chetna Chaudhary and her team set up a trap near Silver Door Hotel and Restaurant, opposite R Mall on Ghodbunder Road. The police deployed a decoy customer and a witness to confirm the illicit transaction before launching the raid. During the operation, officers successfully rescued two women who were being coerced into prostitution.
“We received confidential information that a woman was supplying girls for prostitution by sharing their photographs with potential clients. Our team conducted a raid, apprehended the suspect, and rescued two victims,” said senior PI Chetna Chaudhary.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to running the racket while continuing her teaching profession in Mumbai. Authorities are now investigating whether she had accomplices and whether more women were trapped in the network.
According to officials, the teacher targeted economically disadvantaged and illiterate women, some of whom had families. She reportedly lured them into the trade by offering financial incentives and circulated their photos to clients via mobile phones. In exchange, she took a 20% commission from each transaction.
The accused has been booked under section 143 (1) (3) (trafficking of person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA). Meanwhile, the rescued women have been sent to a government rehabilitation centre for assistance and counselling.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of senior officers from the Thane Police Commissionerate, with PSI Snehal Shinde, ASI Deepak Walgude, HC Rajesh Suware, Vijay Patil, Kishor Patil, PC Vijay Yadav, Uday Ghadge, and female officers Harshita Thorat, and Poonam Kharat playing key roles in the successful raid.
