A few days before the annual Urs fair at revered Piran Kaliyar Sharif shrine in Kaliyar area of Haridwar district, Haridwar police has busted another sex racket-the sixth one so far this year in the area which houses the shrine.
Police are worried as they apprehend that the flesh trade would gain further momentum with the approach of the fair which records footfalls of lakhs every year. “Sadly enough, the place where the famed shrine is located is also known for a thriving flesh trade. We are extra alert during the time of the fair which draws a huge number of pilgrims from far and near,” said a police officer who took part in the operation that busted the latest on Wednesday.
The latest one was busted at a hotel not far from the shrine. Eight persons, including four girls, were taken into custody by the police from the hotel after they conducted a raid.
During interrogation on Thursday, one of the girls revealed that they were forced into the trade for Rs 500 out of which Rs 250 went to the manager of the hotel. The girls in their twenties from Assam and West Bengal were brought to Kaliyar for prostitution.
They said that they had been working as employees of the hotel to keep things away from the glare of the cops. One of them said that they were often forced into satisfying the lust of the customers sans any payment.
Acting on a tip- off, the anti- human trafficking cell and Kaliyar police had conducted a raid in two hotels located in Kaliyar area from where four girls were rescued and two customers were nabbed.
SP City Mamta Vohra said that the girls from Assam and West Bengal had been brought there by some pimps. “Two customers, Mussrat of Bahadrabad and Dilshad from Amroha district in Uttar Pradesh have been arrested. The pictures of the girls were circulated on Whatsapp to lure customers The other two who were arrested are the manager of the hotel Faizal, a resident of Deoband, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Mustafa from Kaliyar. They were actively involved in the operation of the racket.” she added.