Hotels near Inter-State Bus Terminus in Amritsar under scrutiny for ‘flesh trade’

Hotels near the Interstate Bus Terminus (ISBT) in the Mahan Singh Gate area have come under scrutiny after a video uploaded by RTI and social activist Varun Sareen allegedly exposed a flourishing prostitution racket. The video, which has gone viral on social media, prompted swift action from the local police.

Advertisement

The police arrested three individuals, including the manager of a hotel near the bus stand. Sareen alleged that several hotels in the area have a “setting” with local police, who don’t raid their premises.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Sheetal Singh said the video showed a woman appearing to encourage illegal and anti-social activities. As a result, the hotel manager has been booked under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and a detailed investigation is currently underway. Dr Singh said the police have zero-tolerance against such activities.

In a separate incident on Friday, Division B police arrested Jagjit Singh from Kaonke village in Gharinda, along with a woman, for involvement in immoral trafficking. The woman had reportedly rented a hotel room in the Mahan Singh Chowk area and Jagjit Singh was serving as the hotel’s manager.

In another crackdown, the police arrested Satwinder Singh of Devidaspura village, his son Gurkaran Singh, and Harinder Singh of Pakhoke village in Tarn Taran under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. The trio was allegedly running a prostitution racket from a hotel near Mahan Singh Gate. “Following a tip-off, the police recovered three young women from the premises during a raid. The women were allegedly lured into the racket,” the ACP said.

Similarly, hotels and spa centres around the bus stand have been implicated in such cases. In July last year, two Thai women jumped from the fifth floor of an illegal spa in an attempt to evade arrest during a police raid. They sustained multiple fractures. Meanwhile, three other Thai women were arrested from the same location during the raid. According to the police, the hotel owners and the spa centre manager were allegedly running a prostitution racket in the garb of a spa centre.

In September last year, a similar racket was busted at a hotel and spa centre located near the Jora Phatak, just a few metres from the bus stand.

The ACP issued a stern warning to hotel and spa owners, stating that anyone found involved in illegal activities will face strict legal consequences, including possible sealing of their properties.