Police pose as fake customers, bust sex racket in Shimla

Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, September 13

The Shimla Police on Friday claimed to have busted an inter-state sex racket running in the town.

They also rescued two girls and arrested the alleged supplier Varinder Singh, a resident of Zirakpur.

The police contacted him through WhatsApp and voice calls by posing as fake customers late last night.

“They agreed on a rate and after getting some cash through online banking, the girls were supplied,” said Shimla ASP Parveer Thakur.

A case under Section 4 of the Prevention of Women Trafficking Act and 370 of the IPC has been registered at Dhalli police station.

The girls, both residents of Punjab, have been rescued, and the accused has been arrested.

The police also impounded the vehicle (PB 65 AU 9321) in which the girls were brought.

The accused, Varinder Singh, will be produced before a local court for remand later in the day.

The accused is being interrogated for further details, police said.

The Shimla Police, on November 18, 2018, also busted an inter-state flesh trade racket and arrested eight persons, six girls, including a foreigner, a manager and a caretaker of the “massage centre” in posh Mall Road area.

The alleged flesh-trade racket was being run in the garb of “spa” (massage centre) at a distance of just 200 mts from Police Reporting Room.

On June 2, 2018, another sex racket was busted and two persons were arrested from a guest house in busy Ram Bazaar area.

The woman running illegal business hailed from Uttar Pradesh and was living in Shimla for past many years.

The modus operandi was to hire a room in guest houses for illegal activities.

Recently, posters offering Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 per month for Gigolo (male prostitute) were also found in public toilets in Shimla.

There are over 200 sites offering call girls and escort services for tourists and residents in the state and now a few websites are also offering gigolos too.

These sites are operated through conduits from outside the state.

The preferred locations include tourist destinations like Shimla, Kasauli, Mcleodgunj, Kullu, Manali, Dharamsala, Mandi and Dalhousie.