Chennai flesh trade: 8 women rescued, six men held

CHENNAI: Kanathur police busted a prostitution racket and rescued eight women from two resorts in the city. They also arrested six men in connection with the crime.  

Acting on a tip-off, a special police team raided a resort in Panaiyur and rescued three women hailing from Maharashtra and West Bengal. They were reportedly forced into prostitution. Further inquiry revealed that a few more women were held captive in another resort in Kovalam. The team rushed to the spot and rescued five more women.

The resort owner, Senthil Kumar (40), allegedly brought the women to the city on the promise of jobs and forced them into flesh trade, police said. “Brokers Mahendran (38) and Sivakumar (49) shared the women’s photos online and charged Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 from their customers,” they added.

Along with Senthil, Mahendran and Sivakumar, resort manager Babu (32), middleman Sathish (24) and driver Dileep (28) were also arrested. Cars used for transporting customers and a few mobile phones were seized from them. The suspects were remanded in judicial custody and the women were sent to a government home for rehabilitation.