Lokhandwala Prostitution Case: HC Demands Action from State

20 April 2024 – The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to respond to allegations of police inaction in investigating a prostitution racket operating in Lokhandwala. The court instructed the Advocate-General to appear before it on Thursday to explain the steps taken by the state and the police in the case. Additionally, it questioned why the state had not filed an appeal against the bail granted to four of the seven accused in the matter.

The court was hearing a petition filed by advocates Rizwan Merchant and Aditya Pratap Singh on behalf of a victim. The plea alleged that a couple and their relatives, all residents of Lokhandwala, were involved in abducting minor girls and raising them until they reached puberty. Once the girls matured, they were forced into prostitution. The plea further stated that the girls were confined to a flat in Lokhandwala and subjected to abuse by the couple.

According to the petition, one of the victims, abducted from Agra at the age of seven, managed to escape last year. Now 24 years old, she approached the police and lodged a complaint. Acting on her statement, the police raided the flat, rescued eight other victims, and arrested the couple along with five of their associates.

However, four of the accused were granted bail shortly after their arrest, and the petition alleged that the police had done little to advance the investigation since then. The counsels for the petitioner argued in court that the police’s investigation was “compromised” and accused them of “aiding the perpetrators.”

The petitioners have requested that the investigation be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure a fair and impartial probe. The court is expected to hear further arguments on the matter in the coming days.