The prostitution racket run through an escort service functioned through a website that listed the number of the pimp on it.
The team lead by SP PI Dattaguru Sawant, head constable Santosh Govekar and PC Chandrashekar Pednekar said they contacted the pimp thorough the number provided on the website after which one of the accused arrived at the designated place to reach a deal. The decoy customer had then asked to see the women and the police swung into action when another person came with a woman.
Three women were also rescued in the operation, one of whom is reported to be a Russian national.
Police have so far arrested Deepak Vast (29 years from Ponda), Dhani Ram (30 years from Madhya Pradesh), Anand Jevoor (33 years from Belgaum), Chuchein Kumar (23 years from Bihar) and Kamlesh Mandal (24 years from Bihar). It has recently come to light that one of the accused was a repeat offender.
