The Central Zone police conducted raids on two spa centres in Vijayawada and rescued 17 women on Wednesday. They also arrested 15 persons, including customers 10 and five organisers, and seized mobile phones and cash from their possession for allegedly running the flesh trade.
A couple hailing from Visakhapatnam were running an online sex racket in the pretext of running the spa centres, said the police.
Few others who were running the illegal trade were at large, said the police.
On a tip-off, the team of Machavaram, Patamata and Gunadala police, led by Central Zone Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), P. Bhaskar Rao, the spas on Tuesday night.
“We also arrested ten customers, and five managers and supervisors. The women rescued were natives of Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon,”said Machavaram CI G. Gunaram.
“A couple hailing from Visakhapatnam were running prostitution on the pretext of spa centres and saloons. Some of the accused managed to escape,”said Patamata CI D. Kasi Viswanadh.
Mr. Bhasar Rao said the accused took a trade license for the spa centre from the municipal authorities and were running an online sex racket. The victims would be sent to shelter homes, he said.
The accused were booked under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA), 1956, and were produced in the court on Wednesday, the ACP said.
