Mumbai couples fined were not in rooms: Malwani Police

Mumbai: An officer with Malwani Police told this newspaper on Tuesday that none of the 13 couples who were detained for indecent behavior in a public place were held inside any room in any guest house or hotel. He said they were picked up from public areas around the guest houses.

These same lodges that were raided by Mumbai Police recently, sparking off outraged cries against moral policing, have been scenes of several rape cases in recent years. At the Mantra residency, a sex racket was busted and on three occasions — including one earlier this year — complainants said they were raped there. Several of the people detained by police were picked up from Mantra, including the person who claimed she was slapped, and the girl who claimed her parents had stopped speaking to her.

In 2009, a minor was allegedly raped in Mantra residency and retired Malwani ACP Jaywant Hargude, the then senior inspector Malwani, confirmed that Mantra’s licence was cancelled a couple of months. In 2010, a sex racket was busted where six women were rescued from Mantra and Meena Milan Seth (a pimp), Prakash and one Dev were arrested.

In 2013, a 29-year-old rape complainant said she was raped in Mantra and nearby Yogashram. On July 5 this year, a 41-year-old rape complainant said she was raped in Mantra and Yogashram. Another rape case allegedly took place this year in Himalaya guesthouse. In 2009, a manager of Mhatre cottage in Aksa was booked, and some women were rescued in an Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (IPTA) case which deals with prostitution. In 2010, three women were rescued from Aksa cottage under ITPA.

This correspondent went to Mantra residency to get their version, but owner Harish Shetty was not available and did not respond to phone calls despite repeated attempts to reach him. Mr Shetty had accompanied a delegation of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants to complain to the Mumbai police commissioner about the raid on his property on Monday. He had told The

Indian Express, “We are running our businesses as per police guidelines but they are still harassing our guests. No prostitutes were found inside my hotel. I have been told they were found outside my hotel, so why are my guests being harassed?”

It’s not just Mantra. Rape incidents took place in Ashram lodge in 2013, where the complaint was 21-years-old; at Jogaiwadi lodge in 2014 where the complainant was 24 years of age; Sai Shraddha cottage, where complainant was 40 years of age; White guest house, where the complainant was 25 years of age and in the bushes next to Aksa picnic cottage where a 17-year-old complained of rape. This year, three rapes cases and eight Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) cases including seven for soliciting had been registered from Aksa.

A police officer from Malwani police said, “We didn’t go there for moral policing. The lodges are hand in glove with prostitutes. Even prostitutes can have ID proofs so we had to probe a bit further. Customers are also booked in such cases so they don’t admit their guilt either.”

Old problem in Aksa

Retired Assistant commissioner of police, Malwani division, Jaywant Hargude — who also served as Malwani’s senior police inspector in 2007 — said prostitution in Aksa was a menace even then, and his men had dealt with it effectively. Sources in Malwani police said the informer on whose tip-off they had acted had last month helped them to bust sex rackets in two other lodges in Aksa.

Mr Hargude, who served from 2007-2009 and 2012-2013 in Malwani police, said, “We made many cases and curbed the menace. Also lodges were booked for allowing prostitutes to bring in their customers. Their livelihood depended on it. We cannot take action if there are consenting adults. But lodges have a responsibility of checking their IDs properly.”

“Also lodges used to give away rooms on an hourly basis, adding to our suspicion. The police should be very careful as someone’s privacy gets invaded in the process,” he said.

A Malwani police source said, “We did not fine those inside rooms for indecent behaviour. The 13 couples booked for indecency were caught on the road. We did knock on doors and brought couples out, but that was to check their credentials.”

The source added, “The raids were conducted at JP cottage, Mantra, Ashram and Jogaiwada, on a tip-off of a police informer that prostitution goes on here. The same informer had tipped us about Seaside guesthouse and AT guesthouse last month on July 26. That day we rescued three women and arrested Krushna Dattu Shetty, a manager of Seaside. At AT guesthouse we arrested manager Santosh Ganesh Shresta and rescued four women.”

The source said that three soliciting cases were made in last week’s raid on Dharavli gaon road, Yogashram gaon road and in front of JP cottage guesthouse. All these are near the raided guesthouses. “Even prostitutes and customers pose as couples. I checked the registers and saw they rent rooms on an hourly basis. Usually, rooms are given out on a 12-hour basis,” he said.