Old problem in Aksa

Retired Assistant commissioner of police, Malwani division, Jaywant Hargude — who also served as Malwani’s senior police inspector in 2007 — said prostitution in Aksa was a menace even then, and his men had dealt with it effectively. Sources in Malwani police said the informer on whose tip-off they had acted had last month helped them to bust sex rackets in two other lodges in Aksa.

Mr Hargude, who served from 2007-2009 and 2012-2013 in Malwani police, said, “We made many cases and curbed the menace. Also lodges were booked for allowing prostitutes to bring in their customers. Their livelihood depended on it. We cannot take action if there are consenting adults. But lodges have a responsibility of checking their IDs properly.”

“Also lodges used to give away rooms on an hourly basis, adding to our suspicion. The police should be very careful as someone’s privacy gets invaded in the process,” he said.

A Malwani police source said, “We did not fine those inside rooms for indecent behaviour. The 13 couples booked for indecency were caught on the road. We did knock on doors and brought couples out, but that was to check their credentials.”

The source added, “The raids were conducted at JP cottage, Mantra, Ashram and Jogaiwada, on a tip-off of a police informer that prostitution goes on here. The same informer had tipped us about Seaside guesthouse and AT guesthouse last month on July 26. That day we rescued three women and arrested Krushna Dattu Shetty, a manager of Seaside. At AT guesthouse we arrested manager Santosh Ganesh Shresta and rescued four women.”

The source said that three soliciting cases were made in last week’s raid on Dharavli gaon road, Yogashram gaon road and in front of JP cottage guesthouse. All these are near the raided guesthouses. “Even prostitutes and customers pose as couples. I checked the registers and saw they rent rooms on an hourly basis. Usually, rooms are given out on a 12-hour basis,” he said.