Mumbai: Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a 36-year-old woman, an alleged pimp, after laying a trap at a Dadar-based hotel on Saturday. With two bogus customers, the police lured her, after which she ‘arranged’ six women for Rs. 5,000 each.

The alleged pimp, identified as Suvarna Pagare, originally hails from Karjat in the Raigad District. According to police, Pagare earlier functioned independently, ‘supplying’ women to male customers for prostitution. Later, she allegedly joined hands with two more women, who are currently being traced by the police.

The matter first surfaced when police inspector Anita Kadam, of the Social Service Branch under the Crime Branch, received a tip about Pagare’s illegal business, mainly operated across the city. Teamed up with the Bhoiwada police in Dadar, they shortly began the operation. The D-Day was on Saturday when the plan’s final execution was to somehow trap Pagare, and that too red-handed, said police officials.

The two bogus customers were planted by the SS branch and their work was to approach Pagare as customers, asking her about women, their availability and the prices and as expected, Pagare fell for it. She was called to a Dadar-based restaurant where she reached, along with six women.

“The bogus customers started with negotiation, and the women she brought – she gave the rates, and as she accepted the money (which was fake), she was trapped and placed under arrest,” said a police official.

During the investigation, two more names emerged – both women – who have made their name into illegal trafficking for prostitution. The modus operandi of these women is allegedly to make a deal with ‘customers’ via WhatsApp calls by sending them pictures of women asking them to ‘choose’, giving their rates and then sending the women to a desired location.

The six women were rescued by the SS branch – who belonged from areas like Kalwa, Govandi, Karjat, Mulund, Chunabhatti and Sewri. The remaining formalities of the case have been handed over to the Bhoiwada police, while the team is tracing the two other women.

A case has been registered at Bhoiwada police station against three women under sections 370 (1) (trafficking for the purpose of exploitation), 370 (3) (trafficking of more than one person), and 34 (common intention) among others of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Immortal Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956.