Flesh trade racket unearthed; four arrested

Hubli, Aug 1 (UNI) The Dharwad district police unearthed a racket of purchasing teenage girls under the pretext of marriage and selling them off to prostitution houses in Rajkot of Gujarat, with the arrest of four people today.

The arrested, including a woman, had hatched a plot to ''marry'' off an 18-year-old girl and were about to leave with the girl when the police, acting on a tip off, arrested the four at Kalghatgi bus station in the district.

Police also arrested the mother of the girl, who agreed to allow the marriage for Rs 35,000.

It may be recalled here that just a week ago, one Prema Uppar of Dastikop village of Kalghatagi taluk had returned to the village after escaping from a red light area at Kamatipur in Mumbai. Police suspect the same gang might have sold Prema to the red light area.

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