Guwahati: Prime accused of a prostitution racket nabbed that had been running online in Guwahati was nabbed by the Crime Branch of the Guwahati Police.
As per a statement by the police, the Social Media Cell of the police department in Guwahati had come across certain social media accounts along with some websites which were allegedly engaged in providing escort and sexual services in Guwahati as well as other cities of the state in Assam.
The analysis by the police team found that the suspected persons were involved in an inter-state gang in the possible prostitution racket.
The police based on the inputs with them registered a Crime Branch PS cases under sections 292/371 of the IPC and 67/67 (A) of the IT Act. The case was registered on August 5, 2021, and a further investigation began into the entire matter.
Further investigation into the matter found that the manager of Hotel Minerva, Panbazar namely Nayanmoni Patowary was somehow involved in the racket. He was picked up for questioning and further “startling facts” came to light through the questioning. He revealed that one Sandeep Kumar alias Mukul Bhardwaj alias Bambam was the “main kingpin” of the racket.
The police were further informed that Mukul Bhardwaj was running the prostitution racket along with his wife. The culprits used to communicate with the potential customers via social media or other online methods to fix the date, girls, and rate.
The Crime Branch team based on the information apprehended Bhardwaj’s wife, Diya Sarmah alias Junaki Begum from Patharquari. Mukul Bhardwaj was still at large and his exact whereabouts were not known. Even his wife claimed not to know his current whereabouts and address.
“Technical analysis” of mobile numbers used by the main kingpin Mukul Bharadwaj revealed several addresses ranging from Delhi to Bihar to Maharashtra. The team discovered the use of at least 10-15 mobile numbers by the accused.
“Consistent efforts through technical and human intelligence succeeded in narrowing the location of the accused down to Lakhisarai district of Bihar. A Crime Branch team dispatched to Lakhisarai and they were successful in nabbing the accused on August 8 from there”, the statement added.
Preliminary on-the-spot investigation and questioning revealed that the said Mukul Bharadwaj could be operating similar prostitution rackets in various other places also. The accused is being brought to Guwahati and will be thoroughly questioned after reaching here to unearth all aspects of the criminal activity being indulged in by the gang.