Mangaluru:  Sources say that the police have busted a prostitution racket that operated from a flat located on the third floor of an apartment at Kudkorigude here on Saturday.

Three men were arrested by Kadri police and five women including a college student were detained on charges of prostitution here on Saturday, April 11. A woman who allegedly used to supply ladies to the male customers was also arrested. The arrested have been identified as Bikarnakatte resident Praveen, Prakash of Attavar, Manju hailing from Gadag and Hazeera, the alleged pimp who had allegedly rented the house two months earlier.

Among the detained, two women are from Mysuru, another two from Subrahmanya and a college girl, said to be a local. The women have been shifted to a counseling centre in the city. The operation was led by inspector K V Nagaraj and SI Rafiq along with other police personnel.

All the four accused have been booked under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956. The five rescued women will be used as witnesses for the case, the police said.