Hotelier booked for abetting flesh trade racket, two nabbed

Tightening the noose around hotels allegedly involved in flesh trade rackets, the city police have booked a hotel owner and arrested two persons, including its manager, in this connection.

The hotel owner was identified as Vinod Kumar, a resident of Kad Gill Khurd village in Tarn Taran. He was yet to be arrested.

This was the fourth such case in recent past. Among those arrested were Sahil, a resident of Sundar Nagar, who is manager of the hotel and a Delhi resident, Himanshu of Tilak Nagar area, in New Delhi.

Amandeep Kaur, SHO, Division A police station, said the police got a tip-off that Deep Hotel located near Hussainpura Chowk, was owned by Vinod Kumar and that he along with his manager was luring and pushing innocent girls into flesh trade.

Following this, a case under section 3, 4 and 5 of Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act was registered against the three accused. She said that a raid was immediately conducted and the police arrested Sahil and Himanshu from the spot. Raids were on to nab the suspects, she said.

Evidentially, the Hussainpura chowk is also located near the interstate bus terminus (ISBT). Recently, a video of an RTI activist had gone viral in which he highlighted rampant flesh trade rackets flourishing in hotels located near the bus stand in connivance with the police which did not raid these hotels because of their ‘setting’.

Many hotels near the bus stand had come under the scanner later on. The police launched a crackdown and registered several FIRs in this regard.

Amritsar