Kochi: The Kochi Police on Sunday busted an online sex racket and rescued a minor girl who was allegedly trafficked from Kolkata on the false promise of giving her a job.
Johny Joseph (42), a native of Vytilla who was the racket’s kingpin, was held along with two lodge owners – Reji Mathew (32), a native of Kottarakkara, and Maneesh Lal (27), hailing from Mynagappally.
Acting on a tip-off, the cops laid a trap and police personnel in plainclothes first approached as potential clients. A raid was then held at a lodge near Ernakulam KSRTC bus depot in which the trio was arrested.
The police collected evidence and Rs 50,000 during the raid. “The accused had leased the girl, suspected to be a minor, from a human trafficking racket in Bengaluru for five days after paying Rs 25,000 and brought her to Kochi with the intention of conducting prostitution. They gave an advertisement on www.locanto.in - a free classifieds website, offering young women for dating,” said S Sreejith, Inspector general of Police, Kochi Range.
The police received information about more women being similarly trapped in the racket using the same modus operandi.
Meanwhile, a police team was sent to Bengaluru to trace the middlemen, based on the information collected from the accused and the victim. Girls from rural areas in northern states were lured into the racket by offering them jobs.
