Kingpin of sex racket arrested

GUWAHATI: CID sleuths have arrested the kingpin of a flesh trade racket at Dokusi village in the Nagarbera area of Kamrup (rural) district. Police were looking for Utpal Das (40) since May this year after nabbing Rupa Begum, Das's partner, from the city's Anil Nagar area.
According to CID, the duo rented a room on Rajgarh Link Road early this year and has been been running a sex racket since then.
"We succeeded in arresting Rupa Begum from the house, along with two other girls and three men, on May 13 this year. After interrogating Rupa, we got information about Utpal's involvement in the racket. But we couldn't catch him as we had no clue about his whereabouts," said a CID official.
The CID came to know about Utpal's address after the latter moved a bail petition in high court. "He was scared of the arrest warrant and filed an anticipatory bail petition in court. It's only then we started looking for him. Finally, our team succeeded in arresting him last night," added the official.
Asked about the flesh trade rackets flourishing in the city during the festive season, the CID admitted that the arrival of sex workers has gone up.
"We have sought the support of NGOs and civil society groups during the festive season as the import of sex workers has gone up of late. The racketeers are using smart ways to bring sex workers from outside the city," said the official.
The CID has registered a case against Utpal Das and charged him with section 3, 4, 5 and 7 of Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act and taken him on three-day remand.