Three women, including senior citizen jailed for flesh trade

Three women from the powerloom town of Bhiwandi including a senior citizen, who were found guilty of forcing girls into the flesh trade and running a brothel was sentenced to seven years' rigorous imprisonment by Thane Additional Sessions Judge A N Wagwase here on Tuesday.

Perhaps, this is the first case in Thane court where the accused have been convicted and sentenced under the Immoral Trafficking Act (Prevention), legal experts of the district claimed.

The judge convicted the accused under Sections 366A, 373, read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 3,4,5,6,7 (1)(d), 9 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956 and sentenced the trio to varying terms of rigorous

imprisonment upto seven years and also a fine of Rs 1000 and 2000, besides imprisonment of six months and one year.

Government pleader Buleshwar Hinge, told the court that it was on January 7, 2009, when Bhivandi's Deputy Commissioner of Police received complaints from the members of the Justice and Care International Mission, that some women

were running a brothel in the Kani Kasturi Building behind Rehan's Hotel in the Hanuman Tekadi Area.

After a raid, operators and inmates of the brothel were nabbed by the police on the same night at 10.30 pm. The raiding team found the three accused and the girls who were arrested, the prosecution told the court.

The court held that the prosecution had proved the case beyond any reasonable doubt and convicted Maya Neuma Sherpa (45), Sita Alias Anita Rambahadur Tamang (45) and Pasang Laxman Sherpa (65) guilty of offences punishable under

the the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act (PITA) for forcing the girls into the fresh trade and jailed them.

Government pleader Buleshwar Hinge appeared for the prosecution, while G S Lasane appeared for the defence.

... contd.

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