MUMBAI, July 7 -- The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to a 23-year-old student who was arrested in September 2024 for allegedly engaging in sex with a teenage trafficked victim. The court observed that his role was limited to that of a "customer" and that there was no evidence to show he forced the victim into sex work or knew her real age. The trafficking came to light on September 20, 2024, when police constable Avisha Dhonsekar received a tip-off about the alleged trafficking in Panvel, where girls aged 16 and 17 were being forced into sex work allegedly by one Vejad Ali Khan alias Raju Mondal. The accused - Shayna Jaman, Bibi Shahidue, Shubo Sardar, and Mihir Bhise - had brought the victims from Kolkata. They took them to Panchratna Lodge in Panvel and charged Tejas Sachin Shelke, a third-year B Sc student, to engage in sex with a victim. A police team raided the lodge and rescued seven women, including a Bangladeshi minor. Shelke was arrested on September 29. His first bail application that stated he was unaware of the girl's real age was rejected by the additional sessions judge in Panvel. In January, he approached the high court. Additional public prosecutor Madhavi H Mhatre submitted that Shelke forced the Bangladeshi minor into the flesh trade. She said he knew that the minor victim's ID card was forged to conceal her age. Representing Shelke, advocate Ganesh Gupta said even if the allegations in the crime are considered, Shelke's status would be that of a customer. Moreover, as the victim's ID card said she was 22, the allegations against Shelke is not tenable. The single-judge bench of justice Ashwin Bhobe granted him bail on a personal bond of Rs.25 thousand with stringent conditions. "Applicant is a student aged 23 years. His involvement in the present crime, being that of a customer, and considering the facts and circumstances of the case," it concluded....