Sleaze racket busted in Park Street, 13 held

Kolkata: A sleaze racket was busted in the posh area of Park Street on Saturday night, in which 13 persons, including 9 women, were arrested. Acting on a tip-off, the Anti Women Trafficking department of the city police raided an apartment that houses a beauty parlour and arrested the accused.

Among the accused, there were three customers who were found in a compromising situation inside the parlour. There was also a lady manager of the parlour, among those who have been arrested so far in this connection.

According to police, the racket had been operating in the guise of a beauty parlour to evade any suspicion. During preliminary investigation, police came to know that the sex racket had been operating from the beauty parlour for some time.

Police said that it had been operating on the third floor of the building. There was a banner of the beauty parlour outside the room, where the illegal activity was going on.

The local people had suspected that there must be some unlawful activities going on inside the beauty parlour, as they found people coming into the parlour. They informed the matter to the police. On the basis of specific information, the police had kept a tab on the beauty parlour for the past few days. On Saturday night, police officers entered the parlour posing themselves as customers and arrested the persons for their involvement in running a sex racket.

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.

Police had received a complaint from the local people, saying that certain "illegal" activities had been taking place inside the parlour. Police are trying to know the names of others involved in the racket.

Police have started a case under the Immoral Trafficking Act. A specific complaint has been lodged at the Beniapukur police station. Police suspect that many other persons might have been involved with the racket.

They are investigating to know how the sex racket had been operating in a posh area like Park Street. The owner of the house is being interrogated in this connection as well.