Sex scam: CBI court acquits hotel owner

Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 24

A CBI court today acquitted Riyaz Ahmed Kawa who had been charged with running a brothel in his Imperial Hotel, Jammu, under Section 3 of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act, 1956.

Defence counsel R Pandit said, “The prosecution could not prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.”

The scam broke out in 2006 after the police discovered two video CDs showing women being sexually exploited. The police questioned two girls and the alleged kingpin, Sabina.

After grilling them, the police got names of 56 people allegedly involved in the racket. Later, the case was transferred to the CBI which unearthed a massive sex scandal involving ministers and influential men. The Supreme Court then shifted the case to Chandigarh.

Among those named by the CBI in its chargesheet were former J&K ministers Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Raman Mattoo, former BSF Deputy Inspector General KS Padhi, former Additional Advocate General Anil Sethi, former DSP Mohammad Ashraf Mir and former IAS officer Iqbal Khandey. During the trial, charges were framed against 14 accused. However, as the case progressed, most of the accused were acquitted.