Mumbai: Providing for one's child is an unwritten law that all mothers abide by. But, in the case of one mother, that maternal instinct holds no value. The Ulhasnagar police on Monday arrested a 49-year-old woman for forcing her daughter into prostitution by emotionally blackmailing her.

Cops said that the accused Poonam Manish Mhatre used to slash her veins, and even pour kerosene on herself in retaliation to her daughter's refusal to solicit customers.

The police have booked Mhatre under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act and she has been remanded to two days' police custody by the court. The girl, meanwhile, has been sent to Premkiran Sanstha, a rehabilitation centre for girls in Badlapur.

Mum's the word
According to the police, the 25-year-old victim (name withheld on request) who dropped out of an English Medium school in class V had been forced by Mhatre to entertain customers since the age of 16. Cops added that the family was doing well till Mhatre's husband went missing almost 12 years ago.

"After her father's disappearance, the family went through a financial crisis. Mhatre found it difficult to run the house and she eventually compelled her daughter into prostitution. She scouted for customers and brought them to her daughter. This led to frequent arguments between the two," said Dilip Khadagale, police inspector at Vitthalwadi police station.

Blackmail
Arguments would lead to fights and the mother would then astonishingly cut her own wrists to torment the daughter.

Fearing that her mother would commit suicide the girl was forced to give in to her demands.

After nine years of trauma and hardship, and the ever-increasing demand to entertain customers, the victim finally broke her silence and approached the cops where she registered a complaint against her mother.

Tags: girls forced into prostitution, mother forcing daughter into prostitution