Illicit network uncovered in Ahmedabad

The arrest of pimp Lalo near Sola area on Thursday threatens to unearth some hidden secrets of the flesh trade.

Two other agents, Riya and Pina, are currently on the run. Their racket operates in posh areas of the city. Yet another pimp, Kishan, is under arrest but his business continues to thrive.

An agent, speaking on condition of anonymity, dug out one such tale about the intricate network system of this illicit business. According to him, the flesh trade continues to flourish, courtesy joint efforts of agents, and smaller 'representatives' like taxi and autorickshaw drivers, betel shop owners and other such people. These people talk with their 'interested' customers and provide them contact numbers of the pimps, thus enabling growth of this trade. These customers are then directly handled by the pimps, who show them pictures of girls to choose from. After the 'selection', place and time for customer and meeting place are decided.

Pimps of the city charge anything between Rs2,500 and Rs1 lakh per hour for their girls. The agents are paid around Rs15-20,000 for the services they provide.

According to the agent, girls from Mumbai are thronging Gujarat after the dance bars were closed in Maximum City. This network is so efficient that a girl of desired needs can be made available in an hour, be it in Mumbai, Surat or Ahmedabad.

Around 60 women agents involved in this business function in the city, and have over 5,000 girls under them. Rest houses and nondescript apartments in the city are used for this purpose.

Girls of the trade
A prostitute's life is what a girl will never choose for herself. The hardships involved and social stigma attached with this oldest profession of the world is enough to deter any girl from entering this profession. However, life is unfair to many and the flesh trade thrives on the misery of such women.

From West Bengal, Bangladesh and Nepal to slums of Mumbai, girls are sourced from al over the country and pushed into prostitution by dealers in Mumbai.

For pimps, customers in metropolitan cities are the top priority and the best girls go to them. The Mumbai network sends these girls to Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara on a 25-day 'package' basis. Dealers in these cities receive the girls and pay their Mumbai counterparts Rs15-20,000 per girl for this duration. These girls are then provided to customers and charged on an hourly basis. Guest houses and hotels are usual working grounds for these pimps.

Customers who avail of these services have special demands; most like virgins. To tap this lucrative business, pimps force girls to undergo a surgery which 'restores' their virginity. A black market of these surgeries thrives in Ahmedabad.

The parents of these girls are assured of safety and financial security of the girl. Around Rs8,000 a month is provided to the girl's family. The girl on the other hand, is given a lot of facilities in terms of food, clothes and cash.