The Commissionerate Police on Monday busted yet another well-knit prostitution racket in the State Capital. This is the fifth such sex trade that was cracked by the CP in the last 10-months.
And the new trick in the trade this time has been flesh trade in the guise of a consultancy agency. Following an insider tip-off, the police today raided a three-storied building at Satya Vihar area under Mancheswar police limits.
“Yesterday a woman lodged a complaint alleging that a young girl, who was brought to the Consultancy agency to provide a job, has been forced into the flesh trade. Acting on it, we raided the centre and rescued four girls from the spot,” said ACP Sanjeev Tripathy.
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The senior official further added that the sex racket was operating for a long and we are trying to ascertain the actual owner of the building.
A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, he added. As per the preliminary reports, the centre owner, identified as Laxminarayan Patnaik, has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Police have also recovered several incriminating documents following raids. Sources said that sex racket was operating from 10 rooms in the building.
Four girls, who were present at the centre, have been detained for necessary interrogation, sources said and further added that the girls were being forced into the flesh trade in the guise of offering lucrative jobs. It is not clear as yet whether the detained include any minor.
Police suspect involvement of more in running the sex trade, apart from the Consultancy Agency owner. More facts are expected to emerge after a further investigation is carried out on the matter by the police.
The history of the sex trade in Bhubaneswar is not new. But the cases of busts have been on the rise in the last couple of years. This year alone the CP had cracked three such flesh trade rackets in the City so far.
Last month, the police raided an OYO hotel in the State Capital (Bharatpur area) and had arrested 8 women, including 2 from neighbouring West Bengal.
Earlier in June, the Laxmisagar police raided a guest house in the area and had arrested a woman along with three customers. Similarly, when the Covid-19 was rising menacingly in the State Capital, police busted a sex trade racket in the Laxmisagar area and rescued two women.
In Jan-Feb, police had busted a flesh trade racket in a Divyang training centre in the city. Police investigations have earlier shown that the sex trade in the Capital City is being run by drug traders to mine barons.
(Edited By Sanjeev Patro)