KOCHI: Kochi City police have deepened their investigation into the alleged sex-trafficking racket that operated under the cover of the fashion industry, with sleuths now suspecting that women trapped by the network were also used as carriers in gold-smuggling operations.
The alleged mastermind, Sindhu, who was arrested from Mumbai while attempting to flee the country, was brought to Kochi on Wednesday for detailed questioning. The other two accused in the case — Aleena and Manjima — were remanded on Tuesday.
Reliable sources said investigators are probing whether victims who returned from Gulf countries were forced into carrying smuggled gold through airports after being blackmailed by the racket.
“So far, two women have approached us with complaints. They were allegedly drugged and abused, and private videos were used to blackmail them. We suspect some victims may also have been forced to act as carriers in gold-smuggling operations. They could have agreed out of fear and desperation to escape from the racket,” a source associated with the investigation said.
The probe began after Maradu police received a complaint from a young woman alleging that she was trapped in a sex racket after being approached with promises of modelling opportunities abroad. A second woman later approached police with similar allegations.
Investigators suspect the accused used promises of high-paying modelling or beautician jobs in Gulf countries to lure young women. Once the victims reached Gulf nations, they were allegedly subjected to abuse and blackmail.
Police sources said the racket allegedly circulated photographs of trapped victims among clients in the Gulf. Investigators are now examining this trail as well as the financial transactions linked to the operation.
Senior police officers said multiple aspects of the racket are under the scanner, including possible links with organised criminal gangs operating in Kochi. Sources said local gangsters have been used to threaten victims and prevent them from approaching authorities.
Kochi police commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar had earlier stated that around five people have been identified in connection with the racket, of whom three have been arrested.
Sources said the remaining two suspects are also Keralites currently believed to be based in the Gulf, and efforts are under way to bring them to Kerala for questioning. Investigators have also started monitoring the activities of an event-management firm in the Gulf allegedly run by Sindhu’s daughter, which police suspect may have links with certain people in the film industry.
Sources said what initially appeared to be a sex-trafficking case is now widening into a larger organised crime investigation with suspected links to smuggling networks and criminal gangs.
Officials are also examining whether women from other states may have fallen victim.