Hyderabad: Sleuths of the Rachakonda special operations team busted a sex racket run by people connected to the Tollywood film industry. The police arrested two persons who ran the racket, both working as assistant directors in movies, and rescued three women including a film artist from their custody.
The arrested men were identified as Mula Rajashekar Reddy alias Shekar, 30, and his associate Yarlagadda Ravi Kumar alias Nandu, 23. The victims included two women working as beauticians and a film artist.
According to the police, Shekar hailing from Kadapa district worked as an assistant director in the film Mr Money. He had borrowed money to invest in film-making, but incurred huge losses. On pressure from investors, Shekar took to sex trafficking. He would forcibly send junior artists who got small roles in films to other men on the false promise that they would give them work in their films.
Additional DCP of SOT, Rachakonda, Syed Rafeeq, said, “Shekar had been collecting up to Rs 50,000 from the clients, and paid a small sum to the victims by claiming that they would make more money from the roles they would get to play. This way, he would trap film artists and force them into the flesh trade.”
The accused were handed over to Ghatkesar police station for further investigations. Meanwhile, the police has advised girls aspiring to join the industry to be alert and not fall for such fake promises.
