Mumbai Police arrested a casting director in Versova late on Tuesday for allegedly pushing aspiring actors into prostitution. The Social Service Branch of the Crime Branch contacted the accused, identified as Navin Premlal Arya (32), through a decoy customer after receiving information that he was operating a sex racket and arranged to meet him outside a popular cafe.

The Dindoshi Police arrested a 27-year-old female casting director for allegedly running a prostitution racket and supplying models to customers. The Social Service Branch sent two dummy customers and rescued two models, who have been sent to a rehab centre. The entire investigation was conducted by the Social Service Branch and a video of the incident has been recorded as evidence.The accused has been identified as Aarti Harishchandra Mittal,  who is a casting director for films and a resident of Aradhana Apartments in Oshiwara. The police said the accused targetted models when she met them during various projects by offering them good money to get into prostitution. Mittal also worked as an actor and casting director. According to police officials, Police Inspector Manoj Sutar received the information that Mittal was running a prostitution racket. PI Sutar formed a team and posed as a customer and called Mittal and asked her for two girls for his friends. Mittal demanded Rs 60,000 to arrange for the same.

A police officer said, “Mittal sent pictures of two women on PI Sutar’s phone and told him that these models will come either to Juhu or Goregaon-based hotels. Sutar booked two rooms in Goregaon and sent two dummy customers. Mittal arrived with two young women and also gave them condoms. All of this has been recorded on spy cameras.”

The SS Branch raided the hotel and caught the accused red-handed. They then informed the Dindoshi police station and registered an FIR against Mittal. During the investigation, the models told the police that Mittal promised to pay them Rs 15,000 each. 

A police officer from Dindoshi police station said, “We have arrested the alleged accused for running a prostitution racket in the film industry and supplying models to customers to earn money. We have registered a case against Mittal under Section 370 of the IPC and other relevant sections for girls trafficking. The case has been transferred to the Unit 11 crime branch for further investigation.”