HYDERABAD: The spa which was raided by the Cyberabad Special Operations Team (SOT) on Sunday had been operating from the same rented building for eight years, but it never caught the eye of law enforcement agencies. The spa would carry out illegal activities like prostitution and offer services such as cross-gender massage for paying customers, which included women.
The Madhapur zone sleuths who received a tip-off about the activities conducted decoy operations before striking on Sunday, resulting in the rescue of eight women and the arrest of the main organiser Chittibabu Arigela alias Sumanth hailing from West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Chittibabu had rented a building located in a prime locality at Kavuri Hills in Madhapur and had initially started a salon and spa.
Two floors of the building have a salon, while the three other floors housed the spa. He had also set-up advanced equipment and facilities for his clients.
This gave an impression that the spa was running with all requisite permissions and had licenced therapists offering services to clients. Sources say that after providing massage and salon services, the organisers would lure them with cross-gender massage and also solicit prostitution. They were paying `4 lakh as rent per month to the building owner.
“Services for sexual intercourse were offered for men and women too in the spa and they were charged accordingly,” officials said. Higher officials are now verifying how the spa didn’t come under their vigil and if there was any compromised activity, which helped them evade vigil for such a long period. Chittibabu and his associates have been sent to remand, while the women rescued from the place are shifted to shelter home as per court orders.