The police have arrested three persons on the charge of running a prostitution racket and rescued two minor pre university students from prostitution.
The arrested persons are Shameena, her husband Siddiq and Aishamma.
Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar told reporters here on Thursday that one of the two students who was pushed into prostitution approached her college principal complaining that she was being forced into it. The college principal called the child helpline. After counselling, the victims narrated their ordeal which led the police to raid the rented accommodation in Attavar.
Mr. Kumar said that the accused have been operating from the rented accommodation for the last two years. Among the clients they served included those from Kasaragod and other parts of Kerala. The police suspected that the accused could have honey-trapped some of their clients.
The police have registered two cases under the provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and also under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act. As this case is sensitive and involves victims and accused from different parts of the country, the Central Crime Branch sleuths will carry out further investigation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Hariram Shankar will review the investigation of the case on a daily basis, he said.
One of the victim-students told the police that she came in contact with the accused through her classmate, who is the other victim. She refused to continue to be part of the racket after the college principal made her aware of the operations of the accused. But the accused threatened her of releasing some of her videos in the social media if she refused to cooperate, the police said quoting the victim as saying.
The police are recording statements of the two rescued victims and also the other women who are involved in the network and who are victims of immoral trafficking in women.
