Sex racket dismantled in Ghaziabad hotel; 12 arrested

Police in Ghaziabad have shut down a sex racket operating out of a hotel. During a raid at Hotel Classic Residency in Sahibabad, they arrested twelve people and rescued five women who were allegedly trafficked. The police action took place on March 22 after receiving a tip-off. A local resident reported that women were being lured into prostitution under false pretenses. To investigate, an undercover officer was sent to the hotel to confirm the information. The raid involved police from the Sahibabad station. Among those arrested were two hotel managers, Ram Chandra Yadav and Raju Yadav, along with four brokers. Five customers were also taken into custody. The hotel owner, Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, is currently on the run. Investigators found that Maheshwari, who lives in Delhi, was running the operation. The managers and brokers arranged appointments for clients and shared photos of the women via WhatsApp to attract customers. The entire operation reportedly earned between Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 each day. Maheshwari kept Rs 9,000 from the earnings, distributing the rest to the staff. Mobile phones seized from the brokers contained images of the rescued women and messages related to payments from clients. Authorities have filed an FIR against the accused under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act of 1956. After appearing in court, all those arrested were placed in judicial custody. The search for the hotel owner continues. This incident follows other recent busts, including a raid at a spa center in January where several people were arrested and women were rescued.