KOTTAYAM: Seven people were arrested after the police busted a wife swapping racket in Kottayam on Sunday. The police crackdown came after a woman, who claimed to be the wife of one of the members of the racket, made explosive revelations online.
The woman, a homemaker, also lodged a complaint with Karukachal police that her husband forced her to have sexual relations with another person. The arrest of the accused, a native of Karukachal, led the police to uncover a wider network. The police said over 1,000 couples were members of the racket.
The arrested people are from Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts. Karukachal police revealed the racket used to operate through various social media platforms such as Facebook and Telegram.
Officers said members of the racket also included several professionals and those in the higher echelons of society. Member couples, who meet periodically, exchange women between them, and there were instances of a woman being shared by three men at a time. Money was also exchanged for providing their partners.
“Like-minded people were picked up via social media and exchanges were made in private ‘couple swappings’ groups. Many got acquainted through Facebook. The racket use fake social media accounts, so it will take time before we track those involved,” said an officer.
Officers refused to divulge more details as the interrogation was on.