Pune: Eleven women and three men of Bangladesh were nabbed for staying illegally in India during a late-night operation wherein the Khadak and Faraskhana police raided multiple brothels in the city’s red-light area. Police also rescued a minor girl and boy.Police said the women were forced into prostitution, while the men were their agents. A 15-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy, both of Bangladesh, were rescued from the brothels.A case has been registered at the Faraskhana police station against the accused under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.Deputy commissioner of police (zone I) Krushikesh Rawale said, “We have arrested 18 people, 14 of them illegal Bangladeshi migrants. They had fake Aadhaar cards and other forged Indian identity documents. The women and the minor girl are of Narail and Khulna in Bangladesh.”Police said among the arrested are Sumit Chavan and Jyoti Shaikh of Budhwar Peth. “Chavan was in contact with human trafficking agents in Bangladesh and West Bengal, and brought in women for brothels in Budhwar Peth,” Rawale said.“Chavan would place the women in different brothels and arrange agents to get them work. We are probing whether he was involved in similar rackets elsewhere in Maharashtra,” he said, adding: “We have registered cases against the building owner and manager of the brothels too.”“Preliminary investigation suggests the women had entered India illegally by crossing the border some four months ago,” Rawale added.Data showed that compared to 17 in 2025, police stations in the old city areas have nabbed 72 illegal Bangladeshi nationals in the first four months of 2026.
