Duped over job offer, woman rescued after fleeing sex ring in Delhi

The woman called to Delhi by a person on the pretext of offering her a job at a salon. But as soon as she reached, she was forcibly confined in a Vasant Kunj apartment

Delhi Police arrested a 36-year-old man from near his residence in south Delhi’s Kishangarh on March 20 for allegedly operating a prostitution racket from an apartment in Vasant Kunj. The suspect, who originally belongs to Manipur, used to lure women from different states after sending them fake job offer letters. The racket was busted after a 25-year-old woman managed to escape from the house where the suspect kept her confined, police officers aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Based on the information, a case under section 370 (trafficking) of the Indian Penal Code was registered and investigation was taken up. (Representational image)

Deputy commissioner of police (south west) Rohit Meena confirmed the arrest. “The suspect was identified as Y Prem Chandra Meetei alias Amit,” he said.

A senior police officer said that on March 19, a woman called their control room and said that her sister, who was kidnapped, managed to flee from the suspect’s custody. Police reached the main road in Vasant Kunj where the woman, who belonged to Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, was waiting and met her. “The woman was perplexed, so she was counselled for hours. Later, she told police that she was called to Delhi by a person, Amit, on the pretext of offering her a job at a salon. But as soon as she reached Delhi, she was put up at the Vasant Kunj apartment, where she was forcibly confined,” the officer said.

There were a few other women in the same apartment and she realised that the women were forced into sex work. She somehow managed to flee from the house and called her sister, the officer added.

The victim then took the police to the apartment and the investigators found another 26-year-old woman from Assam. The second woman told police that she was allegedly lured to the Capital with a job offer of an e-commerce platform, but was forced into sex work, police said.

“She alleged that Amit used to keep the women forcibly confined in this house and then send them to customers,” the officer said.

Based on the information, a case under section 370 (trafficking) of the Indian Penal Code was registered and investigation was taken up.

During probe, the suspect’s phone was put on technical surveillance and raids were conducted. On March 20, he was arrested from near his residence in Kishangarh and his digital devices were seized. He was produced before the court and sent to police remand, the officer said.

Investigators said that during interrogation, it was revealed that Amit is a science graduate and also holds a master’s degree. He used to post online advertisements to lure victims. “The ads offered lucrative jobs for women in Delhi and National Capital Region for the posts of receptionist, private secretary and executive. When the women would come to Delhi, he would confine them at the rented apartment in Vasant Kunj and then send them to customers at different locations of Gurugram and Delhi, another investigator said.

During further probe, police found a third woman, who was from Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh. She allegedly told the officers that when she came to Delhi after being offered a job, Amit called her for an interview at his home in Kishangarh. “Amit was alone at his home and he allegedly tried to rape her. He captured some objectionable photos of her and then forced her to go with his clients. He threatened her that if she refused to obey him, then he would share her pictures online,” the second investigator said.

Police also claimed to have found seven bank accounts of the accused and transactions worth ₹22 lakh done in one of them. “He used to take payments from his clients digitally or in cash, and then pay the victims through UPI. It is suspected that he was running a large-scale operation,” the officer said.