Maha: Court acquits woman in trafficking case

A district court here acquitted a 28-year-old woman, who was accused of allegedly forcing two minor girls into prostitution In his order last week, district judge G P Shirsat held that the prosecution had failed to prove charges against the alleged accused under the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act andImmoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

Additional public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale informed the court that on February 9 2018, a police team had raided a hotel in Maharashtra's Thane city and caught the alleged accused and two victims The victims, aged 15 and 17 years, were forced into prostitution by the accused, who is a resident of Mira Road, Hiwrale alleged.

The judge noted that as per the one of the victim's testimony, they had come to the hotel for lunch with the alleged accused and were instead taken into custody by the police The police were compelling the minors to depose against the woman, who is their sister, he said.

The victims had not raised any complaints against the accused, the judge observed while acquitting her.

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