Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-I) of MBVV Police, Rahul Chavan, told PTI that the accused had brought the minor to Mumbai from Ambala under the false pretext of providing her with education.
According to the police, the case unfolded after one of the accused, Sanjay Gupta, a security guard, approached the Navghar police station in Bhayander on March 3.
He lodged a complaint claiming that the 14-year-old girl under his care had gone missing after stepping out to buy materials for Holi and had likely been kidnapped.
Acting on a tip-off during the probe, the police tracked down and rescued the teenager from Bhayander in Thane district.
"When a woman police officer took the girl into confidence and questioned her, a horrific tale of abuse came to light. The girl revealed that the complainant, Gupta, was not her relative," said DCP Chavan.
Police said Gupta had allegedly assured the girl's relatives in Ambala that he would take proper care of her and finance her education; instead, he brought her to Mumbai and forced her into the sex trade.
The victim told the police that she was repeatedly raped by multiple accused, including Gupta, which prompted her to escape from their clutches.
Senior Police Inspector Mukund Yadav of the Navghar police station said the investigation showed that the minor had been sold for Rs 50,000 for the sex trade.
"While probing the initial kidnapping case, we stumbled upon this deep-rooted sex racket," Yadav said.
All eight accused have been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for kidnapping, rape, sexual intercourse committed under false promise of marriage or employment, along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Further investigation is underway, the police added.
