COIMBATORE: The rural police on Thursday arrested two persons in connection with a human trafficking case.
They also rescued a 22-year-old woman from Karnataka, who was hidden in a 'secret-room' of a private hotel near Mettupalayam.
Police sources identified the suspects as 46-year-old K Mahendran from Onai Anaikattu and 36-year-old R Ganesan from Kandhaneri in Vellore district.
Mahendran had taken the hotel on a lease for three years, in which Ganeshan was working as a room attendant. Based on a tip-off, the police conducted a surprise raid at the hotel on Wednesday night.
"In one room, a bathroom was constructed in a narrow space, which is not easily accessible. Suspicious over this, police checked the bathroom and found a secret room inside. The suspects have been using such rooms to hide the trafficked people. The 22-year-old victim was rescued from a secret room," said Superintendent of Police Ara Arularasu.
The police seized CCTV footage from the hotel, which was sealed later. The suspects were booked under various sections of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act.
Further investigation is underway.