Chennai: A week after state CBCID cyber sleuths arrested a couple from IT hub Sholinganallur in city for allegedly running child porn websites and generating income of over Rs 2.4 crore in membership subscriptions, the human trafficking cell on Tuesday booked the duo for running an escort service.
The two - Siddhattha Velu (48) and his wife Priscilla Margaret (46) were allegedly running a high-end commercial flesh trade, police sources said. The anti-trafficking cell has booked the duo under various provisions of the immoral traffic (prevention) act 1956 and IT act—2000, police said here on Tuesday. Last week, while closing the websites down, cyber crime cops found the man’s bank account had been credited with Rs 2.4 crore as payment for membership for these websites during the last five years.
“Through advertisements posted in various websites the couple had asked potential customers to contact them by phone or e-mail for commercial sex practices. The suspects had linked these advertisements to their websites to promote trafficking of women in the name of ‘escort services’.
The police began the probe after receiving information that the two were running child porn sites. It was found later that the couple were also running adult porn websites as well. The two were managing five such websites, including child porn sites, from their house after sending their kids to hostel for studies, police noted. Now we know they were also running a high-end commercial sex racket, in which the two were keeping up a regular supply of girls as per customers’ needs.
