Kochi sex trafficking racket: One more woman arrested, SIT to probe case

Kochi: City police formed a special investigation team to probe an international sex trafficking racket that lured women abroad under the pretext of job offers. The investigation will be led by Aswathy Jiji, DCP (1), Kochi city.Police on Tuesday arrested Manjima, 24, of Ponnani, for links to the racket. A key accused, Sindhu, 50, was arrested from Mumbai and Aleena Abraham, 28, of Thiruvananthapuram, was held from Kochi on Monday. Both Manjima and Aleena were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody, while Sindhu will be brought to Kochi by Tuesday night, said a senior officer.City police commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar on Tuesday said look out circulars were issued, leading to Sindhu's detention and arrest as she tried to leave the country. The commissioner appealed that if anyone faced a similar ordeal, they may contact the DCP directly or the women's cell, and their information would be kept confidential. More complaints are likely to surface, he added.On reports that one accused was a history-sheeter with connections to a gangster, Kumar said all angles would be probed. The survivors received threatening calls, and one of them was threatened at home too, he said. The involvement of goonda elements in Kochi is also under investigation, he added.Kumar said at least five people were involved in the racket. The remaining two accused are suspected to be abroad. He said as per initial complaint, Sindhu made contact with the survivors and made offers, but only a detailed investigation would reveal the racket's modus operandi.According to police sources, two survivors came forward with complaints against the racket. One of them was offered a modelling job abroad, while the other was offered a job at a beauty parlour. The women were taken to the UAE on visiting visas during Jan-Feb. The women said they were given spiked drinks when they reached Dubai, rendering them unconscious after consumption. One woman was given a can of energy drink, while another was given a juice, sources added.The racket members allegedly recorded their visuals in compromising positions and later used those to exploit them, sources said. The women's phones and passports were seized too. The survivors alleged that they were brutally abused and the flat in which they resided comprised other women, who too were exploited. The accused managed the racket in the belief that the survivors wouldn't file complaints due to the video footage.After their visiting visa period expired, they managed to contact relatives and returned, sources said.