Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Jul 22: The police have busted a prostitution racket in the heart of the city and arrested one person in this regard.
Addressing a press meet at his office here on Friday July 22, police commissioner Chandra Sekhar said that the arrested person is Shabari alias Vikram (26), a resident of Kadugodi, Bengaluru.
Based on credible information that flesh trade was going on at room number 103 in the first floor of Surya Lodge near Hampankatta bus stand in the city, a police team led by ASI Poornima raided the spot and arrested Vikram. One girl was also rescued.
The police commissioner said that at least 15 or 16 other girls may have become victims of the flesh trade.
During interrogation, Vikram revealed that besides being a cook by profession, he used to post information about girls on a website called 'Locanto' and attract customers by asking them to contact him on mobile number 888078075. This way, he ran the prostitution business in Bengaluru and Mangaluru. A case in this regard has been registered in women's police station.
"The website is located outside the country and is used for online classifieds. It functions in various countries, and it has become a means to carry out illegal activities like prostitution and may be also human trafficking. We have taken legal opinions and are looking into ways by which illegal activities through this website could be stopped.
"It was very difficult to trace the culprits in this case, as they kept changing their location and time. It was extremely difficult to nab the accused physically as he kept shifting from place to place," he said, adding that similar cases against the accused have also been lodged in Bengaluru, Pune and Kerala.
The police commissioner further said that Vikram was into catering business from several years, and has been running the prostitution racket in Mangaluru, Bengaluru and other cities for about two years. He would attend weddings that hired him for catering and lure girls, and eventually push them into flesh trade.
"Another accused identified as Manjunath alias Manju from Tumakuru is his accomplice and both of them advertised their mobile numbers on Locanto website's 'private classifieds'. Probe is also being conducted into Locanto Classifieds with the help of cyber crime experts," he said.
Hunt is on for two women and Manjunath who are involved in this case, the commissioner added.
Answering queries from reporters on various other cases, Chandra Sekhar said that in the RTI activist Vinayak Baliga case, preparations are on to submit a supplementary chargesheet against the prime accused Naresh Shenoy and other accused in the case. "We are in the process of gathering more information and collecting evidences," he said.
He also said that in a couple of days, the police would come up with a list of 143 most wanted persons in the city limits, including those involved in cases dating back to 10 years.
Regarding Goonda Act, he said in 2015, the Act was invoked against three persons, and the legal advisory board of the high court upheld their detention. They were Chandu alias Chandra Shetty, Safan Hussain of Suratkal, Bharat alias Bharatesh from Panambur.
In 2016, Goonda Act was invoked against 9, out of which the legal advisory board of the high court upheld the detention of five, namely, Altaf Ullal, Mohammed Iqbal of Kavoor, Rahul of Ullal, Mohammed Shareef of Todar, Moodbidri, and Kiran alias Bombay Kiran. The detention of other four, namely Shailesh from Bajalekere, Kodikere Vishwa, Kavoor Mustafa and Haneef Adyapady is still pending before the board, the commissioner said.
"Gambling and drug peddling also come under Goonda Act. We are preparing documents and building proper records to ensure that the advisory board upholds the detention of those accused of these crimes," he added.
On this occasion, inspector Kalavati and two other PSIs were rewarded with Rs 2,000 each and commendation certificates for their assistance in busting the prostitution racket. Other personnel who were part of the operation would be rewarded with Rs 1,500 each and commendation certificates.