Proximity to city, Mumbai and well-connected roads make state's border district haven for illegal activites
Proximity to city, Mumbai and well-connected roads make state's border district haven for illegal activites
Kolhapur is the new-found address for thriving flesh trade and hawala rackets, the city police have found out. The recent arrests of Bangladeshi nationalsu00a0-- acting as 'girl carriers'u00a0-- and betting and hawala operations with origins in Kolhapur have led the police to conclude that the district is bustling with illegal activities.
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Investigations into the Bangladesh-Kolhapur-Pune sex racket, which was busted recently by the Social Security Cell of Crime Branch, has revealed that several women, mostly minors, were kept in a rented flat in an apartment on Uchagaon road in Kolhapur district. The girls were brought from West Bengal and also from Nepal and Bangladesh. The girls would then be taken to two hotels in the nearby areas and as per clients' demands even to the city and Mumbai, said the police.
In the last three years, the Pune rural police have conducted raids thrice on private luxury buses plying on the Kolhpaur-Pune-Mumbai route. It was found that huge amounts of cash were being transferred using this route.
During World Cup 2011, when the city police cracked down on betting syndicates, it was found that most bookies had shifted base to Sangli and Kolhapur.
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Police officials estimated that builders, developers and traders were involved in these transactions that were worth at least Rs 10 crore a month. "Proximity and good road connectivity between the three cities, made good by the Mumbai-Pune and Pune-Kolhapur, are the main reasons behind the flourishing trade on this link. A suspect can easily avoid police checks and reach any destination in either of these three cities," said an officer of the Crime Branch.
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