Paid sex gets a digital push, trade takes to apps

When a 28-year-old Rajesh (name changed) installed Tinder on his phone and started browsing for prospective dates, he made a match instantly. He thought he got lucky but, after a few minutes into the conversation, he realised that he had swiped right on to a sex worker.

Since Tinder is an app where people look out for easy dates, the woman apparently admitted that she used the app to find men who would pay for sex. Rajesh took her phone number, but did not take things forward. 

He, however, gave it to a friend who met the woman. In an age where almost everything works “digital first” and every business house has its own social media presence, prostitution too has jumped on the digital bandwagon. 

While arrests related to this — of both men and women — have been steady in the city, it proves that despite restrictions and police clampdown, commercial sex thrives in Chennai. Thanks to technology, nowadays, most deals are carried out over WhatsApp, Facebook and mobile dating applications such as Tinder, claim the police. 

Though soliciting customers for flesh trade is illegal in India, (prostitution as such is not prohibited) inquiries with police officials, however, revealed that they really do not have control over what transpires on social media as the network is wider than their jurisdiction, but they admit that though the trade is up-to-date with technology, it is the agents who still hold the reins of the business. 

“Be it international escort services or those who operate between states or even locally, it is these agents who control the trade,” a senior police official said. But, most of the agents that the police nab are local experts who bring commercial sex workers from other states or sometimes force women into prostitution for commission. The international agents seem to be out of reach. “These deals are carried out mostly on word of mouth. 

Agents persuade women to get into this trade by convincing them they would be safe and that their financial needs would be taken care of,” said the official. He added that agents are often helped by women who are already in the business to lure in fresh blood. 

“Even women who make deals online, have agents to deal with customers,” said the official. A lot of the women who the police “rescued” claimed that they opted for the job as they were in dire need of money, while others said that it was an easy way to earn money. The police also said that spa and massage parlours act as the front for sex work in Chennai. 

“Girls from northeast region work in a number of spas and salons, and a majority of them are trained professionals who are fluent in English. This makes them perfect for “pleasure seeking” and hence, owners of such establishments, push the women into the trade. 

“When we find that someone is repeatedly involved in flesh trade as agents, we recommend their detention under the Goondas Act,” said a senior official, who used to head the anti-vice squad, of Central Crime Branch. According to the police, women who arrive from Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata — where there is no major restriction on prostitution — are not aware that the business is prohibited in Tamil Nadu. 

“So, when we rescue them and send them for rehabilitation, they find it hard to accept that what they have done is wrong even if we treat them as victims rather than offenders. Also, since the men are not booked for the offence, it irks them more. Once caught, the women don’t return to Tamil Nadu or at least Chennai fearing detention again,” said another official. 

During their stay at rehabilitation homes, rescued women are trained in various trades by NGOs for encouraging self-employment. Isabelle, who runs an NGO that works with sex workers, said that the women who were forced into commercial sex seem keen to take up alternative profession provided they were guided and trained properly. 

“But it is difficult to change the attitude of those who think they may not be able to make as much money as they make in prostitution. Also, the longer the women stay for rehabilitation, the better it is for them,” Isabelle said. 

Also, while the women are supposed to be given Rs 10,000 when they complete three months in rehabilitation, sources said that the compensation is sanctioned just once a year. “Only a few women get the money while for the remaining, the amount keeps pending,” said an official source, not wanting to be named. 

“After the Commissioner approves the request, it is forwarded to the Collectorate. Steps are under way to streamline the process in order to provide compensation to women right after their release from the home,” he added. But, if the local police keep a tight vigil in their police station limits, commercial sex work can be controlled better, claimed sources working in this field. 

If the agents and spa owners know that police keep a lookout for such incidents and cases, the practice will automatically decline. There are informers to alert police about such incidents but they often hesitate fearing backlash as there is a possibility that policemen may allow the trade for a commission.

Rithwik (name changed), a private firm employee, recently came across a profile on Tinder with an international contact number. When he sent a text to the woman, she responded a few weeks later claiming that she works for a Dubai-based male escort agency called Stallion and asked him if he was interested to join them.

As the conversation continued, she told Rithwik that the agency needs fit and good-looking men in cities like Chennai, Goa, Mumbai and Pune to satisfy their women clients, referred to as sugar mommies who are mostly single women from abroad who desire submissive partners. She also told him he would get paid upto Rs 20,000 per client and sent him some of their so-called clients' photos, but there was a catch. Rithwik would have to pay the agency Rs 50,000 to be included in the agency’s list of escorts. Thinking that he would soon earn the money back, Rithwik went ahead and transferred the money to account number provided by the escort agency. After that, however, he never received any response from them. 

After several failed attempts to get hold of the agency people, Rithwik approached the anti-vice squad of Central Crime Branch (CCB) as a last resort. But since the crime fell under the category of cheating, the complaint was forwarded to the respective wing. Sources in the anti-vice squad claimed that they receive a lot of similar complaints in which men become victims of fraudsters who claiming to be running male escort services who end up cheating them. "Such fraudsters use platforms like WhatsApp and Tinder to target gullible men as it is easy to conceal the identity and making it difficult to trace them. At least nine out of ten such agencies are fake, and their only intention is to extort money from men. Many fall for it thinking they would get to meet foreigners," said an official attached to the anti-vice squad.