Guwahati, June 26: In a major crackdown on alleged prostitution operating under the guise of massage parlours, Cachar Police arrested 28 women during raids at two spa centres in Assam’s Silchar town and are probing a possible interstate human trafficking racket linked to the establishments.
The raids were conducted on Thursday night following intelligence inputs and a detailed investigation into alleged illegal activities at massage parlours in and around Silchar.
Speaking to reporters, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime), Cachar, Rajat Pal, said the women were initially detained and later formally arrested after a case was registered at Silchar Sadar Police Station.
“All of them have been produced before the district court and we have sought their custodial remand,” Pal said.
The arrested women have been booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to cheating, obscene acts, assault or use of criminal force against a public servant, public nuisance and petty organised crime.
Police have also invoked provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, including sections pertaining to managing a brothel, living on the earnings of prostitution, prostitution near a public place and soliciting.
The owners of the two spa centres have also been booked under the same Act.
According to police, most of the arrested women are not residents of Silchar. Documents recovered during the investigation indicate that several are from districts including Jorhat, Sonitpur and Kamrup in Assam, while two women are from Dimapur, Nagaland.
The police suspect that many of the women may themselves be victims of trafficking.
“We are not ruling out the possibility of an interstate trafficking racket. Many of the women are from outside the locality and the investigation is looking into whether they were brought here through organised networks,” Pal said.
The crackdown comes amid growing concerns over alleged illegal activities being carried out in the name of spa and massage centres in Assam’s urban areas. Investigators are now trying to ascertain the extent of the network and whether similar operations are functioning elsewhere in the region.
Also Read: Meghalaya govt ‘on the job’ for mining fix, says Shylla; rules out open-cast in EJH
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
