A former Bollywood child star has been arrested in a prostitution raid after admitting she turned to it because she made the ‘wrong choices’ in her film career.

Shweta Prasad is best-known for her lead role in 2002 film Makdee at the age of 11 where she played a young girl captured by a witch.

The 23-year-old was arrested in Hyderabad, India, on Sunday after becoming involved in the sex trade.

In a statement to police the actress revealed that she had been lured into prostitution after roles in Bollywood films dried up and she ran out of money.

She said: ‘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’.

A number of people were also arrested in the raid including a Mumbai businessman.

Inspector P Murali Krishna of Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills police station said they are currently treating Ms Prasad as a victim.

He said: ‘We have arrested the actress. We are treating her as a victim and she’s been sent to a rehabilitation home.

‘We have arrested the person who exploited her and we are investigating if there are other girls been forced into the racket.’

It has been reported that the actress has since been sent to a rescue home run by the women and children welfare department, where it is believed she will stay for three months.

She rose to fame in television series Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki and went on to appear in several Bollywood films.

She won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for her appearance in Makdee.

Dailymail

[caption id="attachment_4728" align="alignnone" width="634"] Pictured in 2002, aged 11, Shweta Prasad (right) pictured with former Indian president Abdul Kalam and fellow child actress P. S. Keerthana. The girls were jointly awarded Best Child Artist at the National Film Awards[/caption]