Sex trafficking racket; five police officers suspended

• Ring-leader’s maintained information on bribe payments in her dairy
• Special Central Crime Branch team to investigate sex rackets in the city

Mysuru: Mysuru Police Commissioner A Subrahmanyeswara Rao suspended five police officers for their alleged involvement in a sex trafficking racket on August 8^th. The police rescued three women and have sent them to state-run shelters.

The suspended officials include Ravi Kumar, Krishne Gowda and Manju and two station staff members Sanappa and Diwaker. Based on a diary that was allegedly being maintained by the ring leader of the sex trafficking racket, the officials have been accused of accepting bribes regularly from her.

Raid

Two special police teams lead by DCP Dr Vikram Amathe and ACP Gajendra Prasad, raided two beauty salons in Mysuru city and arrested three persons in connection with an alleged sex trafficking racket on July 28^th.

Both the beauty parlours were fronts for a sex trafficking racket, owned by Hemavathi alias Sanjana, informed the police. The police arrested Hemavati and two of her accomplices, Doddasidda and Chikkasidda and booked them under sections of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act and criminal intimidation.

During the raid the police recovered a car belonging to Hemavati, 10 mobile phones, 15 SIM cards, several diaries and a swiping machine.

Police Commissioner AS Rao and DCP Vikram Amathe were approached by a local NGO – Odanadi, which had been receiving complaints from residents regarding the activities in the two beauty salons. Hence, the police formed teams to rescue the women in the beauty parlours. Along with rescuing the victims, the police also found Hemavathi’s daries in which was recorded the many bribe payments paid to the police.

“The diaries had mentioned that Rs 7,000 was given to CCB per month and Rs 10,000 to police constables per month. This brought out suspicion that the police had continued to allow the operations of the beauty parlour to go on even though they had knowledge about its activities,” said the police.

Modus operandi

Hemavati targeted women from other states who were from the lower economic background and came to Mysuru in search of a job at beauty parlours. She forced them into sex trade and recorded it. She used these videos to blackmail the women into staying silent. She threatened to upload it online if the women went to the police,” explained a police source.

Mysuru Police Commissioner AS Rao has said that a special Central Crime Branch team will be formed to investigate sex rackets in the city as the number of such incidents have increased in Mysuru. The investigators suspect that the five officers may have taken money to allow the sex trafficking racket to operate. They have been suspended pending investigation. If their role in the racket becomes clear, arrests will be made, assured the police.