Two spas of habitual flesh trade accused confiscated in Bhavnagar

Rajkot: To strike at human trafficking and organized prostitution, Nilambag police in Bhavnagar began proceedings to confiscate a commercial property under Section 107 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which officials said is the first such action in Gujarat.

The confiscation targets Shabana Theem, an alleged habitual offender who was allegedly running prostitution racket under the guise of massage parlours.

Section 107 of the BNSS deals with the attachment, forfeiture or seizure of property derived from criminal activities, especially in cases involving organised crime or unlawful gains.

According to police, Shabana ran two establishments: “Ayu Thai Family Spa” in shop 309 on the third floor of the Eva Surbhi Complex on Waghawadi Road, and “Crystal Family Spa” on the second floor of the Shiva Blessing Building. Two FIRs were registered at the Nilambag Police Station against her under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

During investigations, police found that the accused coerced women into prostitution by threatening them and forbidding them from leaving the spa premises. While she collected hefty sums from customers, the victimized women were paid trivial amounts, with the accused pocketing the majority of the illicit profits.

An in-depth financial probe revealed that Shabana originally rented the shop for “Ayu Thai Family Spa” in 2022. As her illicit business thrived, she used the illegal earnings to outright purchase the same shop, even paying off the bank loan EMIs using funds generated from the prostitution racket. The current market value of this property is estimated to be around Rs 80 lakhs.

Because the immovable property was acquired through illegal income, the police submitted a report to the magistrate to officially seize shop 309 under Section 107 of the new BNSS laws.

Police records indicate that Shabana is a repeat offender, having had similar cases registered against her in 2016 and 2025. Despite previous legal actions, she continued her anti-social activities. The police noted that failing to curb such illicit operations could attract other youths to similar crimes, prompting the strict application of the new BNSS provisions to dismantle her economic network.

Assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Bhavnagar, Ghanshyam Gautam claimed, “This is the first such case in Gujarat of attachment of property initiated under BNSS 107. We have used this new law to ensure a complete demolition of illegal activities. This power was previously used by ED mostly. We will use this against history sheeters and repeated offenders.”