DGP expresses ire on flesh trade being run in guise of spa centres in Vijayawada, seeks explanation from Police Commissioner

March 13, 2024 06:39 pm | Updated 06:41 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA

Director General of Police, K.V. Rajendranath Reddy, expressed anger over the alleged illegal activities being run in guise of spa and massage centres in Vijayawada at the NTR Police Commissionerate.

Following a tip-off that organisers of some spa centres were resorting to alleged flesh trade, about 60 Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) personnel seized mobile phones and cash from the spa centres, and arrested the accused on March 12 (Tuesday),” Mr. Rajendranath Reddy said.

About 10 teams, led by SEB Inspector General of Police (IGP), M. Ravi Prakash, conducted raids on six spa centres, and rescued 27 victims, including three women from Thailand. SEB team arrested 25 customers and five organisers, the DGP said.

“Raids were conducted in Machavaram, Penamaluru, Suryaraopeta and a few other areas. Action would be taken against concerned police officers failing to check illegal activities,” Mr. Rajendranath Reddy told The Hindu on Wednesday. He said that the NTR Police Commissioner was directed to give explanation on the failure to prevent flesh trade in Vijayawada.

Following the directions of NTR Collector, S. Dilli Rao, special teams comprising of Labour, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, Women Development and Child Welfare and Police conducted raid on about 200 spa, massage centres and beauty parlours, which were organising flesh trade in Vijayawada, back in 2023.

Police closed the centres and arrested the accused. The modus operandi of the accused is to attract customers over phones and online, and later engage them with girls brought from Delhi, Hyderabad, Noida, Gurgaon, West Bengal, Goa and other places, the investigation officers said.