7 women among 9 held for running prostitution racket in Thane, booked under MCOCA

Thane, Jul 7 (PTI) Police have invoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against seven women and two men allegedly involved in running a prostitution racket near Kalyan railway station in Thane district, officials said. The action was initiated after investigators found the accused had formed an organised crime syndicate and were systematically exploiting women for financial gain, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kalyan) Ashok Honmane said at a press conference on Monday. The police have arrested the nine accused for allegedly conspiring to force 20 women into prostitution by luring them with money. A case was registered at the Mahatma Phule Chowk police station in Kalyan on February 21 this year under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Based on the evidence collected during the investigation, provisions of MCOCA were invoked against the accused, the official said. The accused, who were lodged in Kalyan District Jail in connection with the case, were re-arrested under the MCOCA provisions on June 30 after taking a local court's permission, the police added. PTI COR GK