Sex racket busted in Allahabad, 19 women detained

Allahabad: Police on Thursday claimed to have busted a big sex racket with the detention of 19 women from red light area of the city.

Acting on a tip-off provided by a Maharashtra-based NGO, a raid was conducted at a house in Meerganj locality of the city`s Kotwali police station area, police said. 19 women, 15 of them believed to be minors, were taken into custody.

NGO "Rescue Foundation" had told the district police that a number of women had been "trafficked" here and were being pushed into flesh trade. All the women hail from states like West Bengal and Assam and the neighbouring country of Nepal.

Meanwhile, a middleman involved in the racket was also arrested from the house while a search was on for his associates, police said.

The women have been currently kept at the Mahila Thana from where they will be taken for medical examinations to ascertain their age and health.

Those found to be minors would be sent to state-run juvenile homes, while those aged more than 18 years would be produced before a magistrate`s court and appropriate legal action will be initiated, the police said. PTI