Ghaziabad police conduct raids at spa centers, 60 booked for immoral trafficking - Hindustan Times
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Ghaziabad police conduct raids at spa centers, 60 booked for immoral trafficking

May 25, 2023 11:58 PM IST

According to police, to execute the surprise raids, approximately 150 personnel, including female constables, were deployed

The Ghaziabad police conducted surprise raids at eight spa centres located in a mall in Kaushambi on Thursday, police said. A total of 60 women and 39 men were picked up for questioning on suspicion of engaging in sexual activities at the centres. Subsequently, 21 women and 39 men were booked under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, while the remaining 39 women were released and reunited with their families, according to police.

Cops stationed outside a mall in Ghaziabad on Thursday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)
Cops stationed outside a mall in Ghaziabad on Thursday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

According to police, to execute the surprise raids, approximately 150 personnel, including female constables, were deployed. Police buses were also stationed outside the mall. The personnel from Link Road police station and police lines conducted a thorough search, initially detaining 99 people, police said.

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“The detainees were taken to the Link Road police station for questioning. During the raids, objectionable items, videos, and photographs were discovered at the eight spa centres located in the basement, first floor, and third floor. We ultimately released 39 women who were allegedly victims of prostitution, formally handing them over to their families. The others were charged under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act at the police station,” said Vivek Chandra Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (trans-Hindon).

Police officials said that customers picked up from the centres belonged to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, as the mall is situated near the Delhi border.

“In total, 60 people, including 21 women, were charged. These include spa operators, staff members, and customers discovered during the raids. The 39 women who were released will provide their statements to the magistrate (under CrPC 164). It has been revealed that staff members enticed customers into engaging in sexual acts with female employees, charging them between 3,000-5,000. The charged individuals also include the eight spa operators. The mall authorities and staff were not involved in any of these activities,” added the DCP.

In an attempt to keep the raid confidential, local police post personnel were deliberately excluded. As a result, the sub-inspector in-charge of the police post was suspended.

“The sub-inspector in charge of the police post was suspended due to negligence in carrying out his duties. The spas were operating within his jurisdiction, and people were involved in sexual activities. The sub-inspector failed to prevent these operations and is now suspended. The raids were conducted in response to complaints about ongoing sexual activities,” said Bhaskar Verma, additional commissioner of police (Sahibabad).

Furthermore, two sub-inspectors and a constable were suspended in connection with the murder of telecom trader Mukesh Goyal in Muradnagar on May 23.

“The suspended officers failed to intervene and prevent the incident, which occurred merely 50 meters away from the police post. The investigation into the murder case is ongoing, and 8-10 teams have been deployed to apprehend the suspects,” said Nimish Patil, ACP (Masuri).

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