Man held for forcing wife into prostitution

In her statement given to the police, the woman has alleged that her in-laws, husband and his friends sent her to places like Kolkata and Bengaluru, where she was forced to indulge in prostitution since January 2017

Three men, including a 26year-old man, were arrested by Mira Road police on Thursday for forcing his 19-year-old wife into prostitution for over a year.

Six others, including the woman’s mother-in-law, her husband’s uncle and friends, who along with a pimp, facilitated the crime are still at large.

The arrests followed after the woman registered a complaint against her husband and in-laws at the local police station last week.

The family lived in an upscale residential locality in Hatkesh, Mira Road. In her statement given to the police, the woman has alleged that her in-laws, husband and his friends (all names withheld) sent her to places like Kolkata and Bengaluru, where she was forced to indulge in prostitution since January 2017.

They also made her work at local bars and undergo abortion. A team, led by API Ganesh Mali, arrested three people, including the woman’s husband, his friend, 28, and a pimp, 50.

“All other accused named in the FIR will be behind the bars soon. We have launched a detailed probe into the matter to establish the sequence of events and the exact role of culprits in the crime,” said Sr Police Inspector Vasant Labdhe. Apart from registering an offence under sections 370 (Unlawful compulsory labour), 374 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC, police have slapped the relevant sections of the stringent Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act against the trio, who were remanded in custody after being produced before the District Sessions Court, Thane.