Nagpur: A single mother from Madhya Pradesh, who was allegedly lured into prostitution by a woman, was rescued by the crime branch during a raid at Ashirwad Nagar on Saturday. Police rounded up the accused, Lalita alias Puja Yadav (37), who they said operated an extensive network.The rescued woman had arrived in Nagpur around one-and-a-half months ago. Struggling to support her eight-month-old daughter, she was allegedly drawn into the flesh trade by Yadav, who promised her quick earnings, said police.As per police, photographs of several women were found on Yadav’s mobile phone. Police said Yadav circulated photographs of women among prospective customers and arranged meetings at different locations.Acting on a tip-off, a crime branch team led by senior PI Darshan Patil and head constable Prakash Mathankar laid a trap using a decoy customer before raiding Yadav’s house between 3pm and 6pm on Saturday.Police seized Rs 1,500 in cash and a mobile phone worth Rs 10,000. Police are trying to establish the identities of the women in the photographs, determine the extent of the network, and identify others who may have been involved.The accused and the rescued woman were handed over to MIDC police. The operation was carried out under the supervision of DCP Deepak Aggarwal and ACP Vaibhav Jadhav.
