KATHMANDU, Nov 10: Police arrested another member of a net-based prostitution racket Monday night. Sangeeta Shrestha, 35, of Birjung was nabbed at Tahachal following the arrest of Amit Gautam, her business partner and possessor of the contact number mentioned in nepalsexguide.com.,the website used by the racket. [break]
Navaraj Silwal, chief of Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu, said an ongoing investigation is leading to multiple linkages in the racket. During a crackdown that went on throughout the night, police also arrested three sex workers-- an 18-year-old girl from Itahari, a 19-year-old from Jhapa and a 22-year-old from Nepalgunj. Similarly, police arrested two alleged clients of the racket during the raid.
The racket is said to have been supplying girls to clients, contacting them through the website hosted from India. As told by police on the basis of their preliminary investigation, the racket used to keep around 40 girls on call and take them to hotels and residences to meet the clients. Police caught them in a sting operation.
In line with particulars in the website, one of the three girls arrested together with two members of the racket is said to be a Bachelor´s level student who is also training to be an air hostess. Police had to handcuff her in a cell after she broke down in tears and started banging her head against the wall following her arrest.
Of the two alleged clients, one is the owner of a manpower agency and another is found to be an instructor at in induction course for workers going abroad.
This is the first time that police have been able to intervene in a case of cyber-oriented sex trade, said to have been flourishing recently. They will be prosecuting the case under the Public Offense Act.
According to police officers, the racket apparently tried to internationalize Nepal-based sex trade through the internet, with a pool of ´escort´ girls from different backgrounds--students, models, celebrities--who could be hired for varying prices.
Related story
Prostitution taking place secretly in Bhaktapur: Police
-1781762832.webp)
