Sex racket busted, Kiss of Love activists among arrested

Thiruvananthapuram: A police special team busted a racket in trafficking of women, including minors, and  another involved in online child pornography on Tuesday.

The ‘Kiss of Love’ activists Rahul Pashupalan and his wife Reshmi, a model by profession, were among those arrested in connection with the online sex trafficking case.

While six persons involved in trafficking were held from a hotel in Nedumbassery, Ernakulam,  after the police carried out an undercover operation, six others, including NRIs, involved in spreading child pornographic materials through Facebook page ‘kochu sundarikal’  were held from various parts of the state in simultaneous raids.

Two minor sisters hailing from Yelahanka in Bangalore and the six-year- old son of Rahul-Reshmi couple were rescued from the online flesh trade gang. Two women gave a slip to the police and even caused injury to a police officer as they sped away in a car.

Read: Rahul’s Kiss of Love pals  gave cops lead

‘Operation Big Daadyy,’  a drive launched by the police against child pornography and paedophiles, resulted in the arrests. A team led by Crime Branch IG S. Sreejith busted the racket by tracking the phone numbers published on free online classified portal Locanto. Recently,  the police had cracked an online sex trade racket that operated by offering escort services through the Locanto site.

“We had collected strong digital evidence regarding the involvement of each accused before nabbing them. Their antecedents would have to be verified to see whether they were involved in trafficking earlier also,”  said Mr. Sreejith. Rahul was said to be associated with the racket for about one year.   “We are not concerned about  his activities in connection with the Kiss of Love stir,”  he said. Various sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, IPC and IT Act were framed against the accused.

Other than Rahul, 29,  and Reshmi, 27, who are engineers hailing from Kollam, others arrested in connection with the online trafficking are Abdul Khader alias Akbar, 31, an anti-social element hailing from Kasargod, Leneesha Mathew, 39, of Lingarajapuram  in  Banagalore, Ajeesh, 21, of Ernakulam and Aashique, 34, of Palakkad. The two women who gave a slip to the police were identified as Mubeena and Vandana.

They were suspected to be accompanied by a minor girl too, apart from an adult. Those held in connection with the Facebook page were  Malappuram native Ummar, 28, working in the UAE who created the page, Vijeesh, 20, of Palakkad, Sujith, 28, of Thrissur, Sony Kurian, 26, of Ernakulam and Chandrakumar, 36,  a KSRTC bus conductor of Kattakada in Thiruvananathapuram, and Pradeep, 32.

A WELL-LAID TRAP
Police officials posing as NRIs got in touch with the kingpin of the online sex trade racket,  Abdul Khader  seeking women for sex. The picture of the females, including Reshmi, two minor sisters and the two women who managed to escape, were shown to the customers online and a deal was struck for Rs. 4 lakh - about Rs 3 lakh for the two minors alone.

About Rs 20,000 was also credited in the bank accounts of the racketeers as advance. As per the deal, the police customers booked rooms in the hotel and waited for the preys.  Leneesha Mathew, who claimed to be working in a private firm in Bangalore, brought the two minor sisters from Bangalore by flight.  Rahul was held while he accompanied his wife Reshmi to the hotel along with their kid.  Two women had reached the hotel premises in a car. But they smelt a rat and sped away in the car, causing injury to a police officer who tried to stop them.

Sex racketeer, 2 women flee after knocking down SI
A key accused in the online sex racket, which was busted on Tuesday,  made a daring escape along with two women  by knocking down a Crime Branch SI  with a car  during a  police raid at a hotel near Nedumbassery airport at 6. 50 p.m. on Tuesday.

Mr  K.J. Chacko, SI, who suffered minor  injuries, was given first aid at the LF Hospital, Angamaly.  He was hit in front of  nine Crime Branch officers and other police personnel who were waiting outside the Marriot Hotel to nab the sex racketeers who had reached there following a trap laid by the police. The Ernakulam registration red-coloured Alto car belongs to one Jibin from Kasargod, but   the police have not yet confirmed whether  the car was driven by him.

“We had laid a trap to  arrest all the accused involved in the sex racket and suddenly  the car came in high speed towards the SI when he tried to stop it. Luckily, he managed to escape with minor injuries. A few police officers at the spot rushed to take care of Mr Chacko and others tried  to catch the other accused. In the meantime, the car sped  away,” said a police officer.

The operation was carried out by the Crime Branch police, Thiruvananthapuram, with the support of local police. The arrested were taken to Thiruvananthapuram. A case has been registered against the person who drove the Alto car under section 308 of IPC for murder attempt and 353 of IPC for assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty.

Mr G.H. Yathish Chandra, Ernakulam Rural SP,  when asked why the accused escaped from the police net,  said, “I was informed about this late and in minutes he vanished. He might have changed the number plate of the vehicle and might not have crossed the district. It is not a big deal and he will be arrested soon,” he said.

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