Puri: Police busted a forced prostitution racket, arresting 12 individuals, including the kingpin in Talabania area in Puri town. The kingpin, Ranjulata Das and 11 other men were arrested for running illegal activities in a hotel.
The racket was busted while police were searching for a missing minor girl, who was later found to be a victim of the sex racket, along with two other minor girls.
According to Puri SP Vinit Agarwal, the arrests were made under various sections of the POCSO Act, including 120(3), 376(2)n, 376(2)f, 370(5), and 366(A). The investigation is underway. The hotel where the racket operated is also under scrutiny, he added.
The missing girl’s mother had filed a complaint on February 18, after her daughter went missing on January 12. Following the complaint, police gathered information and eventually busted the racket.