The operation was conducted following a tip-off received by the AHTU.
According to police officials, Senior Police Inspector Prithviraj Ghorpade of the AHTU received specific information from sources on November 30 about prostitution allegedly being carried out at a salon and spa in Sector 11 of Vashi.
The women were reportedly being forced into prostitution for Rs 6,000 per customer.
An officer said, "SPI Ghorpade sent a dummy customer to the spa. The spa manager, Asima Robin Ghosh (34), a resident of Saikunj Society, Sector 11, Vashi, and originally from Kolkata, along with her absconding partner Noor Alam Sheikh of Chembur in Mumbai, had brought the women under the pretext of providing body massage services to the dummy customer. The duo allegedly offered the women to the dummy customer for prostitution and accepted Rs 6,000 as payment."
The dummy customer immediately informed the officers, who then raided the spa and rescued six women, police said.
An FIR has been registered at Vashi Police Station under Sections 143(3), 3(5), and Sections 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. The arrested woman has been remanded to police custody until December 4, while Noor Alam Sheikh is currently wanted. Vashi police are investigating further.
The raid was conducted by ACP Dharmapal Bansode (AHTU) and led by SPI Prithviraj Ghorpade, along with API Yogesh Deshmukh, PSI Savita Gund, HC Malikode, PC Thakur, PC Chavan, PC Paygude, PC Chavan, HC Adkamole, PN Anita Bhale, and driver HC Mohite.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Yenpure, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deepak Sakore, and DCP (Crime Branch) Sachin Gunjal, who had recently directed officials to crack down on immoral activities and illegal establishments across the Navi Mumbai Commissionerate.