Hudkeshwar hotel raid: 44-year-old woman held, Madhya Pradesh woman rescued

Police in Nagpur have arrested a 44-year-old woman after raiding Hotel Royal Mansion in Pawanputra Nagar, which falls under the Hudkeshwar police station. The raid was carried out by a joint team of the Social Security Department and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU).

The woman has been named as Samina Waseem Sheikh. One of the two accounts of the case spells her first name Sameena. Police allege that she offered an adult woman from Madhya Pradesh to a customer in exchange for money.

Investigators say Sheikh is also accused of tempting women with the prospect of making more money in a short span of time and then pushing them into the trade. She is alleged to have found clients for them at various hotels in the city.

The action began after the police received a tip-off about these activities. They then set up a trap using a decoy customer. A photograph of the woman was allegedly sent to this person over WhatsApp, and a deal was reportedly struck for Rs 2,000. Once that was settled, the police booked a room at the hotel.

Sheikh allegedly reached the room with the woman. The police team, which was already waiting nearby, moved in at once and caught her. The woman who was with her, who had come to Nagpur from Madhya Pradesh, was rescued and handed over to the Hudkeshwar police for further proceedings.

During the raid, the police seized Rs 2,000 in cash and a mobile phone valued at roughly Rs 12,000. Together with other items, the articles taken into custody are worth Rs 14,510.

Police said the arrested woman is a widow and has three minor daughters. They added that the circumstances behind her alleged activities, along with other aspects of the case, are being looked into.

The Hudkeshwar police have booked the matter, invoking provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) as well as the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. The accused and the rescued woman are both with the Hudkeshwar police, and the investigation continues.