Raipur Police have successfully busted a major prostitution racket operating in the city, resulting in the arrest of 17 individuals, including two women and the mastermind of the operation, Jugal Kumar Rai, who was apprehended in West Bengal. The investigation began with an accident involving a car driven by Bhavesh Acharya, who was found to be transporting a woman involved in prostitution.

 

During the investigation, it was revealed that Acharya had contacted Jugal Kumar, a known procurer, to arrange for the woman’s services. Further investigation, led by senior officers including Inspector General of Police Raipur Range Amresh Mishra, Deputy Inspector General of Police and SSP Dr Lal Umed Singh, uncovered a well-established network operating in Raipur. The investigation revealed that the accused were involved in bringing women from various states, including foreign countries, to Raipur for prostitution. They used online platforms like Locanto to advertise the women’s services to potential clients.

 

The arrests include several key figures in the racket, including Ravi Thackeray, Jagendra Uke, Brijesh Saha, Mohammad Sajid, Dinesh Lilwani, Sheikh Imran, Amit Soni, Ramendra Pathak, Sheikh Noorul Haq, Durgesh Panagar, Mayank Harpal, Mohammad Shabir, Manoranjan Barik, Rishabh Sharma and two female agents. The mastermind, Jugal Kumar Rai, was apprehended in 24 Parganas, West Bengal. He confessed to his involvement in procuring women from various states for prostitution and operating a network of individuals involved in the illicit trade. The police have registered two cases, one in Telibandha Police Station and another in Saraswati Nagar Police Station, under Sections 4, 5, and 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. The investigation is ongoing, and the police are actively pursuing leads to apprehend any remaining individuals involved in this criminal network.