In a startling development, 41-year-old actor Anushka Moni Mohan Das was arrested in Thane, Maharashtra, for allegedly operating a prostitution racket. Authorities say Das coerced aspiring female actors into the illicit trade.
Police, acting on a tip-off, deployed undercover customers to a mall on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, where they caught Das red-handed accepting money. The operation, led by Assistant Commissioner Madan Ballal, successfully rescued two women working in TV serials and Bangla cinema.
“The team raided the premises and apprehended the accused during the sting operation,” ACP Ballal of Mira-Bhayandar and Vasai-Virar police said. The rescued women have been moved to a shelter home for their protection.
Das has been charged under Section 143(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to human trafficking, and under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (PITA). Investigations continue to determine the full scope of the racket and to identify any accomplices.
