OutFocus December 2014 | Page 6

COVER STORY 06 Actress Shweta Basu ACQUITTED FROM PROSTITUTION CASE slams at media response following her false arrest and expresses her strength Shweta Basu Prasad, who was mired in a controversy this year when she was caught in an alleged prostitution racket, has accused the media of wrongly dragging her name into a prostitution case. The starlet was sent to a rescue home for 59 days after a prostitution racket allegedly involving her was busted, reports PTI. She is an awardwinning actress. She won the National Award in 2002 for the best child artiste for her role in Makdee. She also won several awards for her remarkable role as the sister of the lead character, in the 2005 film Iqbal. She has had a successful career in films and television across four languages. Shweta is in the limelight because three months ago she was caught in a police raid on an alleged prostitution racket. On a tip-off, the Hyderabad police planted a decoy customer, who paid an “agent” some advance money. Based on this tip-off and payment, the police raided the hotel where Shweta was staying, and “rescued” her. She was sent to a rescue home for six months. Her mother intervened through a court order, and Shweta was released in two months. She was quoted then as saying that bankruptcy had forced her into the sex trade. Many film insiders had publicly spoken out in her support, including actress Deepika Padukone and TV star Sakshi tanwar. According to a report