CHENNAI: A 56-year-old man from Kerala, who owns a club in Dubai where he allegedly engaged women from South Indian states to do sexually explicit dancing and forced them into sex work, has been detained under the Goondas act.
The Chennai city police, which had issued a look-out circular against Shakeel alias Mustafa Puthangot of Malappuram, arrested him last month when he was detained in an airport in Kerala based on the LOC.
On Friday, city police Commissioner A Arun issued the order detaining Mustafa under the Goondas act.
Earlier in May, the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Unit (ITPU) of the city police had arrested three persons working as agents for Mustafa for allegedly trafficking women from low-income families. These women seeking jobs were sent to hotels in middle eastern countries, where they are forced to work as dancers.
City police arrested the trio based on a complaint from a woman who approached the police after returning from abroad.
"Preliminary investigations have revealed that they targeted women from poor families and cheated them on the promise of jobs abroad," an official with city police said.
The accused, M Prakash Raj (24) of Madipakkam, K Jayakumar (40) of Tenkasi, and A Aafiya (24) of Thoraipakkam, had distributed pamphlets promising hotel jobs abroad, promising luxurious life.
Once the women were taken to Dubai, they were allegedly forced to do sexually explicit dancing and even sex work at Dilruba Club owned by Mustafa, in a top hotel there, claimed the Chennai police. Further investigations are on.