Former BJP Mandal President Atul Chaurasia was arrested on June 1, 2025, following a late Sunday night police raid on his Hotel Atithi in the Gadha area. Chaurasia is accused of operating an organized sex racket under the guise of his hotel establishment.
The raid was prompted by a courageous complaint filed by a young woman from Assam. She alleged that Chaurasia, along with his accomplice Mathura Prasad Dubey, also known as Sheetal, were the masterminds behind the illicit operation. The victim claimed she had been lured to Jabalpur three years ago under the false pretense of a job offer. Once in the city, she was allegedly coerced into prostitution with promises of substantial earnings. She recounted that customers were charged between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 per service, but she received only a minimal portion of the payment and faced severe threats when she dared to demand her rightful share.
The woman managed to escape the racket four months ago and had since been living in a rented house. However, her ordeal was far from over. Upon demanding her pending dues, she allegedly received renewed threats from both Chaurasia and Dubey, pushing her to finally approach the Gadha police station.
Acting swiftly on the complaint, the police launched the raid and successfully apprehended Chaurasia. His alleged accomplice, Mathura Prasad Dubey, however, managed to evade arrest and remains at large, with an intensive search operation currently underway to locate him.
The initial phase of the investigation has already unearthed evidence suggesting that an organized sex racket had been operating from Hotel Atithi for an extended period. To uncover the full extent of the operation and identify all individuals involved, police are meticulously examining the hotel’s guest entry register, reviewing CCTV footage, and analyzing the call details of the accused.
Preliminary findings indicate that the racket allegedly involved women from various cities, including Kolkata, Sikkim, and Raipur, who were brought to the hotel. Authorities noted that no other victims have come forward at this stage, and the girls reportedly present at the hotel had left the premises prior to the police raid. While some photos of Chaurasia and Dubey were discovered on the victim’s phone, no other significant evidence was recovered from her device.
Atul Chaurasia, the owner of Hotel Atithi, formerly served as the president of the Rani Durgavati Mandal and is currently identified as a BJP worker. The Gadha police are now preparing to formally request the Jabalpur collector to initiate stringent action against the hotel establishment. Furthermore, investigations are ongoing to ascertain the criminal records of both accused individuals as the case unfolds.