Three people, including two sisters, have been arrested on charges of running a sex and drug trade in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.
The two sisters and their brother’s boyfriend were arrested on charges of rape, criminal intimidation and allegedly running a sex racket under the guise of providing employment opportunities to young women, Baghwania police in Bhopal said.
The police also arrested three others in connection with the case, and they are currently on the run.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 64 (rape), 123 (punishment of causing hurt by poison, narcotic drug or other noxious substance with intent to commit an offence, cause injury or facilitate the commission of an offence) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under relevant sections of the Freedom of Religion Act of Parliament.
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False promises of work and housing
Two complainants, a 21-year-old woman from Chhattisgarh and a 30-year-old woman from Bhopal, approached the police station on Sunday evening. The women claimed they were lured by job and housing opportunities.
They said they were drugged and raped by several people in Bhopal, Mumbai and Gujarat. Following their complaint, a team was sent to Ahmedabad for further investigation.
Both the complainants on Tuesday narrated similar cases in their first information report (FIR) and also before the court, said Amit Soni, in-charge of Bhagwania police station. Sony added that they said that many other women had fallen victim to this blackmail.
The accused sisters went from living in the slums to owning a villa
Sonny, the police station official, said that the two accused sisters went from living in a poor neighborhood to owning a luxury villa, cars, and traveling by air.
The sisters had earlier lived in Abbas Nagar, but recently moved to Royal Sagar Villas in Bhopal. Both allegedly targeted girls from economically weaker backgrounds and offered them jobs with a monthly salary of $1,000. $NDTV reported 10,000 free accommodation, food and what they called a “high-end lifestyle”.
“The authorities are also investigating the bank details and sources of income of the accused,” the officer said.
