Rashmi Rajput for Mumbai Mirror

Mumbai, July 10: Saturday saw the third successful bust of a prostitution ring in the city, when cops arrested two aspiring models and a pimp from Bandra’s Sea Rock Hotel. 

The modus operandi followed by the cops was similar to the one adopted in the raids conducted on June 30 and July 1. An undercover sleuth posed as a customer and approached a noted pimp Vishwajeet Chaudary a week ago. A few telephone conversations later, a deal was struck at Rs 20,000. Chaudary promised to arrange for two models to be available at two rooms in the Sea Rock Hotel.

Unaware that a trap had been set, the two models, later identified as Shifali Sultan, 23 and Twinkle Sharma, 24, entered the hotel with Chaudary at around 10.30 pm on Saturday. The police then arrested the trio from the rooms. They were produced before a holiday court in Bandra, where Chaudary was remanded to police custody, while the girls were sent to a rehabilitation home in Bandra. The cops are now on the lookout for a fourth accomplice.

Police officials are describing the raid as part of a bigger operation to curb prostitution. “The raid is part of a huge operation we have initiated to crack down on prostitution. An undercover sleuth posed as a customer and we were able to nab the trio,” said Bipin Bihari, additional commissioner of police.

Interestingly, the models’ lawyer, N K Sharma, claims the girls are innocent. “The girls are not linked to any prostitution ring. They just happened to be there at the hotel that night. The police have falsely levelled charges against them,” he said.

During the past fortnight, the police have conducted two such raids on five-star hotels. On June 30, the Santacruz police arrested three girls and a pimp from the J W Marriott Hotel in Juhu. An aspiring television actress and two pimps were arrested from Hotel Bawa Continental in Juhu on July 1. The police said that the hotels have not been booked, but have been asked to be alert.

Sea Rock manager Prabhu, refused to comment on the incident, only saying, “Three people were arrested from two rooms in the hotel that had been booked a few days AGO.”

•  PREVIOUS RAIDS

On June 30, the Santacruz police busted an Internet-based sex ring in Juhu and arrested three girls, all in their early twenties, and a pimp from the plush J W Marriott Hotel. The cops decided to lay a trap after stumbling across a web site, komal.com, that displayed portfolios of ‘young, elite’ girls and made them available to rich clients in five star hotels and expensive resorts.

The following day, July 1, cops of the Social Service Branch busted another sex ring and arrested an aspiring television actress and two pimps from the lobby of Hotel Bawa Continental, Juhu. The girl had posted her profile on escortblue.com, which contains several such profiles, sleazy pictures and cell phone numbers the customers need to call.