Minor among 13 women rescued in Thane orchestra bar raid

THANE: A police raid in Maharashtra’s Thane district has uncovered disturbing conditions inside an orchestra bar, where women were allegedly being forced to perform and hidden in cramped spaces to evade detection. The police have raided an orchestra bar and rescued 13 women, including a minor, from the establishment in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Saturday. Based on a tip-off, a police team raided the bar in Bhayandar East on Thursday night and found women performing on stage, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Doiphonde said. "The raid was conducted around midnight following inputs that the bar management was employing more women than permitted and forcing them to perform obscene dances to attract customers," he said. During a search of the building, the police team found a narrow concealed cavity created to hide additional women, and rescued six women and a minor, who were suffocating in the confined space, the DCP said. Thirteen women have been rescued from the establishment, and a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against 13 accused for allegedly endangering lives, hiding women in unsafe conditions and forcing them to perform obscene acts, the official said.