by Alok Mohit
PATNA: Patna police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a sex racket being run in the city. Eight girls were rescued and five people, allegedly involved in running the flesh trade, had been arrested, police said.
A police officer told reporters that a team from Jakkanpur Police Station, acting on a tip-off, raided a hotel near the Mithapur bus stand late on Tuesday night and rescued eight girls, including a minor. Based on information given by them during interrogation, the police rescued six more girls from Saristabad locality in Gardanibagh police station area. The police also recovered many objectionable items and mobile phones, which were being used to contact “customers”, from the rooms of the hotel, he said. “The police have arrested five people, including the kingpin of the entire racket, the hotel manager and two staff, during the raid,” he said.
The officer said the arrested persons had been sent to jail while the rescued girls were handed over to the Childhood Rescue Movement Institute.
He said the girls, who were from Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, said they were called to Patna to work in orchestra and perform during marriages and other events. The girls said that they were forced into flesh trade when there was no booking for the orchestra, the officer added.
