Khwahish Matthew aka Aarti Mittal had threatened to get me arrested in a fake case: Gehana Vasisth

MUMBAI: According to Gandi Baat fame actor-turned-producer and director Gehana Vasisth, Aarti Mittal who was arrested by the Mumbai police for running a prostitution racket and on charges of trafficking had threatened to get her arrested in a false case in the year 2020, just before the Covid-19-induced lock down.

Casting director and actor Aarti Mittal had contacted hundreds of women and tried to force them into prostitution and could be in for more trouble. In a new twist to the case, actor and director Gehana Vasisth has accused Aarti Mittal of cheating and blackmail and threatening to file false cases against her. Gehana said a sum of Rs 3 lakh was initially demanded from her by one of Mittal’s henchmen.

The 27-year-old Aarti was nabbed a few days ago by the Dindoshi Police in Mumbai’s western suburbs for allegedly running a sex and prostitution racket luring young women into the flesh trade by promising them huge sums of money after she was caught red-handed.

The Social Service Branch of the Mumbai Police had sent two dummy customers and rescued two models in the raid. The entire investigation was conducted by the Social Service Branch and a video of the incident was recorded as evidence.

The Social Service Branch of Mumbai Police apprehended her and rescued two models who were brought by her to meet the decoy customers. The rescued women have been sent to a rehabilitation centre and the police are conducting further investigation.

The accused, Aarti Harishchandra Mittal, who originally hails from North India, is a casting director for films and lives at Aradhana Apartments in Oshiwara, the police informed. She has also worked in some bold or adult films for OTT apps in 2019 under the stage name of Khawahish Matthew. The police said the accused targetted models whom she met during various projects by offering them good money to get into prostitution. According to Gehana Vasisth, she was blackmailed by Mittal in the year 2020. Mittal had demanded Rs 3 lakh or threatened to file a false case against her. Gehana had approached the Oshiwara Police station in the matter but due to the lockdown, the cops did not take any action. At that time Mittal had moved to North India.

A Police Inspector Manoj Sutar received information that Aarti was running a prostitution racket. He formed a team and posed as a customer asking Aarti for two women for his friends. Mittal demanded Rs 60,000 to arrange for the same.

As per reports, Aarti sent pictures of two women on Sutar’s phone and told him that the models would either come to Juhu or Goregaon-based star hotels. Sutar booked two rooms in a Goregaon hotel and sent two customers (cops in disguise). When Aarti arrived with the models, she also gave them condoms, all of which was recorded on spy cameras.

The SS Branch raided the hotel and caught the accused red-handed. They then imformed the Dindoshi police station and registered an FIR against Aarti Mittal. During interrogation, the models revealed, Aarti had promised them Rs 15,000 each for having sex with the customers.

A case has been registered against Mittal under Section 370, which deals with trafficking, of the IPC and other relevant sections of the IT Act as well as PITA or Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act.

Aarti Mittal has worked in the television show Apnapan. She had a while back posted on social media saying she is shooting for a film with R Madhavan.