Second sleaze racket busted in Kolkata

Kolkata: A sleaze racket was busted in the posh area of Gariahat on Monday night, in which 11 persons were arrested.

Acting on a tip-off, the Anti Women Trafficking department of the city police raided an apartment on Rashbehari Avenue near Gariahat on Monday night and arrested the accused including some women. According to police, the racket has been operating from a rented flat situated on the second floor of the building for quite some time.

Police said that among the arrested were six sex workers, a manager and two touts. There were also some customers who were found in a compromising position. During preliminary investigation, police came to know that the manager had rented the flat.

Police have seized liquor bottles and some hard cash from the room. In the course of investigation, they also came to know that the sleaze racket was going on in the flat for quite a long time. The investigation revealed that the arrested sex workers, aged between 21 and 27, used to visit some other places in the city as well. They are being interrogated in this connection.

Some of the policemen went to the flat, posing as prospective customers and caught the accused red-handed. Police have started a case under the Immoral Trafficking Act. Police suspect that many other persons might have been involved in the incident. Police had received complaint from the local people saying that certain "illegal" activities had been taking place inside the flat. On the basis of the information, police raided the flat on Monday night. They have started a detailed probe in this regard and are trying to know the names of others involved.

It may be mentioned here that last week, Bidhannagar police had arrested six persons including three women, from a flat at Salt Lake for running a sleaze racket.