A major casting couch racket was busted in Mumbai by the crime branch, wherein a man and two women, including a casting director, associated with the racket were arrested. A cash amount of Rs. 5.5 lakh and 15 mobile phones were reportedly seized from the accused.

The police had received a tip-off from an anonymous person that a man named Prem, who is a casting director, pushed models and aspiring actresses into prostitution racket. "Acting on specific information, the police's Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) conducted a raid on the hotel located near the Juhu beach in western suburbs on Tuesday," an official reportedly said. Laying a trap, one of the police personnel pretended to be a customer and deposited Rs. 2 lakh in the bank account number provided by the accused. "As pre-decided, the woman was to come to the hotel in Juhu on Tuesday. A trap was laid by the crime branch team with officials of Social Service branch of police who raided the room and nabbed Prem and two women," the official added.

Prem and the two other people involved in the racket were arrested while the police rescued 8 women. "The rescued women, who had worked in various advertisements, movies and in some web series, told police that Prem pushed them into flesh trade by promising them roles in movies and by offering break as models," the officer mentioned. The accused were booked under sections 120B, 370, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under relevant provisions of Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act (PITA).