Woman, 44, arrested after raid on Nagpur hotel over alleged prostitution racket

A case of alleged prostitution has come to light at Hotel Royal Mansion in Pawanputra Nagar, under the Hudkeshwar police station limits in Nagpur. A joint team of the Social Security Department and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) raided the hotel. Police have arrested Sameena Waseem Sheikh, 44. She is accused of arranging a customer, in return for money, for sexual relations with an adult woman from Madhya Pradesh.

According to police, the accused is alleged to have lured women with the promise of earning more money in less time, and to have arranged customers for them in different hotels.

The operation began when police received information about these suspicious activities. The team then planned the raid using a decoy, a fake customer. Investigating officers said a photograph of the woman was allegedly sent to this customer over WhatsApp. A deal was then allegedly settled for Rs 2,000.

Once the deal was fixed, a room was booked in the hotel. Police allege that Sameena Sheikh arrived at the room with the woman. The team, which was already waiting there, raided the room and caught Sameena.

Police said the woman who was rescued had come to Nagpur from Madhya Pradesh. She was rescued during the operation and handed over to Hudkeshwar police for further legal proceedings.

In the raid, police seized Rs 2,000 in cash and a mobile phone. The phone is said to be worth about Rs 12,000.

Police also said the arrested woman is a widow. The circumstances behind the alleged activities and the other aspects of the case are being investigated.

A case has been registered at Hudkeshwar police station under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Further investigation is under way.