Tina Dabi, one of India's most well-known civil servants, took over as the district collector of Barmer, Rajasthan, last month and has been actively making an impact since then. In her short time there, she’s been seen personally leading cleanliness drives, even sweeping streets herself, and has held doctors accountable for negligence during hospital inspections. These actions, captured on video, quickly gained attention on social media.
This morning, Dabi made headlines again by leading a raid on a spa center allegedly involved in a sex racket. The raid occurred during a surprise inspection near the Sadar police station, where Dabi noticed the spa’s doors locked from the inside. After knocking with no response, she ordered police officers to investigate. Some officers entered through the roof, while others broke down the door. Inside, they discovered five women and two men in compromising situations. The police detained them on suspicion of prostitution, and the incident was caught on camera, with videos showing some individuals attempting to cover their faces, as reported by NDTV.
Barmer has several spa centers, and locals have long voiced concerns that many of them are fronts for illegal activities. Despite prior police actions, these centers often resume operations after those involved are released on bail. Today's raid, however, marked the first significant crackdown in response to ongoing complaints.
According to sources, these spa centers obtain licenses from the Labor Department and then bring in girls from West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Nepal to run prostitution operations disguised as legitimate businesses. While the police have conducted raids in the past, the lack of continuous enforcement has allowed these operations to restart.
Tina Dabi, who gained further public attention after marrying fellow IAS officer Pradeep Gawande in 2023, has also launched a citywide initiative called "Navo Barmer," or "New Barmer." Under this project, modern technology is being used to drive cleanliness campaigns and improve the overall condition of the city.
