New Delhi:
The arrest of infamous kingpin of an inter-state prostitution racket, Sonu Punjaban, seems to have forced the pimps and escort agencies in the city to change their modus operandi.
The pimps have now changed their numbers and locations fearing raids and arrests. Police say that the pimps have taken this step so as to cash in on the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) which for them and escort agencies of the city is a big money spinning opportunity after the just concluded cricket World Cup.
To investigate the matter, MiD DAY called up various escort agencies and found that they had switched off their phones. Posing as customers, MiD DAY spoke to one of the pimps. On taking the call, the pimp, who gave his name as Rahul, asked us to call from mobile phone instead of a landline phone.
When we called from the mobile, the first thing he asked was, "How did you get my number? Have you visited us before?" Fearing that police might be tracking his call, he requested us to avoid the 'keyword'. "
Bhai jo bologe sabh milega par aisa waisa kuch maat bolna. Police haath dho ke peeche padi hai (Brother, you will get everything you desire, but do not say anything which makes the call look suspicious. Police are after us)."
When we asked him to meet us and fix the deal, he avoided and said the same can be done on the phone itself. On further questioning as to why most of the pimps have switched of their phones and calls were being recorded, he replied, "Don't you know police have arrested Sonu. Everyone in this industry worked for her, so everyone has changed his number. We have contacts of all our clients and will soon update them about our new numbers," said Rahul, who operates from Safdarjung Enclave.
The escort agencies in the Capital too have changed their modus operandi to cash in on the IPL fever with caution being the buzzword.
"Our mode of operation would be the same as it was during Commonwealth Games. We have prepared a database of all our customers and have set up a call centre. Whenever a customer will ask for our service, we will match his details with our existing database. If the detail matches, a pimp will be sent to take care of that client. However, if the client is new he would not be entertained without a reference. Once we are confident that it a request from a genuine client and not a trap, we will call him at a common place and give him a code.
"Under no circumstances would he be allowed to visit at our hideouts. Also, no promotion will be done through SMSes and mails," said Manish of Best4Gals, a south Delhi-based escort agency.
"Rates have also been increased for the first timers during the IPL. We want to make the most from this season," he added.
According to sources, the flesh trade in the city was masterminded by three people--- Kanwaljeet, Shiv Murti Dwivedi and Sonu Punjaban. From school dropout to aspiring models and actresses, they had around 200-300 call girls working under them.
Kanwaljeet had been arrested long time back under MACOCA. Sonu had been running the racket for the last six years and it is alleged that she and Shiv Murti Dwivedi were rivals and she had played an important role in getting him arrested. Police said Sonu paid the girls Rs 60,000 per month while she herself earned around Rs one lakh everyday.