Mumbai, Jan 12 (IANS): The arrest of actress Amrita Dhanoa and model Richa Singh in a sex racket that was busted by the Mumbai Police has once again brought to light a murky side of showbusiness, establishing the fact that a nasty connection does exist between the glamour world and flesh trade. In the past, too, several actresses have been booked for their involvement in prostitution. Most of these cases have emreged from regional film industries. although whispers abound about Bollywood, too.

The first name that comes to the mind is that of Shweta Basu Prasad. The promising actress who had bagged the National Award for her performance as a child artist in the 2002 film "Makdee" left everyone shocked after she was arrested by Hyderabad police in September, 2014. Then 23, she was reportedly found in a "compromising position" after cops raided a famous hotel in the city's Banjara Hills area.

A few years ago, "Bigg Boss 3" contestant and "MTV Splitsvilla 6" host Sherlyn Chopra spilled the beans on her sexual encounters on social media. Chopra revealed on Twitter that she has engaged in paid sex in the past but is no longer available for the same.

Names of several southern actresses, especially from the Telugu film industry, have found their way into news reports for their alleged involvement with prostitution.

Tamil actress Bhuvaneswari was arrested by Chennai Police in October 2009 for allegedly running a sex racket in her apartment in the city. As per reports, the actress had also been arrested in the past on similar charges but got away reportedly due to her political connections.

The Telugu film actress Seema was arrested on charges of soliciting in 2009. She was nabbed after the police performed a raid in Hyderabad's Tarnaka area.

Telugu actresses Saira Banu and Jyothi were arrested by Hyderabad police in August, 2010. The actresses along with a few other women were nabbed after cops raided an apartment in the city's Kundan Bagh area.

Another Telugu actress Divya Sri, who has also appeared in Tamil films, was arrested for being involved in a prostitution racket after a police raid in Guntur. She was arrested in September 2014.

Tamil actress Aish Ansari was arrested from Jodhpur in 2013 after cops busted a high-profile sex racket.

Apart from these, there are names like Telugu film actress Kinnera who reportedly admitted to playing the role of a sex broker and Telugu TV actress Sravani who was arrested in 2013.