A former Bollywood child star was arrested during a prostitution ring in the south Indian capital city of Hyderbad, last weekend. Shweta Prasad, now 23, is best known for her starring role in the film Makdee at age 11. The award-winning actress turned to prostitution because she wasn’t getting any acting gigs.
Reports the Telegraph:
More Bollywood roles followed her debut and she won parts in India’s popular Telugu and Bengali films as well.
But her arrest on Sunday highlighted Bollywood’s sleazy dark side.
In a statement to the police, she said how she and many other actresses had been lured into prostitution when Bollywood roles dried up and the money ran out. She had not found a film role in eight years.
“Wrong selections in [my] career made me run out of money. It became difficult to meet my day-to-day expenses. When some people encouraged me to do prostitution, I did so to earn some money. There are many struggling heroines who are linked to this business. There is no other alternative but I repent for the mistake”, she said.
Inspector P Murali Krishna of Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills police station confirmed the actress had been arrested along with a Mumbai businessman and a number of others. Despite being arrested, the inspector said she is being treated as a victim.
Prasad was busted with her pimp, and in a “compromising position,” according to the IBI Times. Because she’s being treated as a victim in this case, Prasad will get the help she needs to get her life back in order. She’ll be staying at a rescue home for three months, where she will receive free housing, food, clothing, and vocational training.
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