The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Sex racket involving Telugu film artistes busted

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Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Sex racket involving Telugu film artistes busted

Staff Reporter

Assistant film director allegedly behind racket; Uzbek woman among those held

Decoy operation by Commissioner's Task Force (Central) team
The foreigner was brought from Delhi to Hyderabad a week ago

HYDERABAD: The police on Monday busted a sex racket being operated allegedly by a Telugu film assistant director from the posh Kundanbagh area -- hub of official residences of top bureaucrats and Ministers -- here by arresting two female artistes, a foreigner and five others.

Film artistes -- Saira Banu (28) and L. Jyothi Laxmi (28), Sabrina Bacriddinova Shodmonava (25) of Uzbekistan -- accused of being sex workers, ‘pimps' - Juvvala Raju (35), K. Ravi Chandu (29) and R. Veeranna (29), were caught in a decoy operation by sleuths of the Commissioner's Task Force (Central) team.

While the two artistes were released on bail, the foreigner was remanded in judicial custody under the Foreigner's Act for failing to present her travel documents.

Along with the three ‘pimps' against whom the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act was invoked, a maid and a car driver employed by them were also sent to judicial custody.

This is the second major case that has cast shadow on the reputation of the Telugu film industry after the arrest of two siblings of a noted Telugu film actor in a drugs case four days ago.

Raju, an assistant film director, slipped into debts after some films he got dubbed into Telugu failed at the box office, the Punjagutta police said.

He joined hands with Chandu, artiste co-ordinator, Veeranna, costume designer, and Janardhan, a broker, to operate a brothel by procuring junior film artistes using their connections.

Hire a flat

They hired a flat in Spring Heavens building in Umanagar of Kundanbagh for Rs. 18,000 a month six months ago and used to arrange film artistes for customers, the police said.

On a tip-off, the TF officials sent two Sub-Inspectors as decoy parties to the flat and raided it after Raju accepted money from the duo. The foreigner was brought from Delhi to Hyderabad a week ago by Janardhan, who is absconding.

Hailing from Novinoski district of Uzbekistan, the woman flew to Delhi on a visiting visa in the first week of August. She maintained that she was desperate to earn money to bring up her child after her husband deserted her and met her sister-in-law Appam alias Monica in Delhi seeking a job. Appam introduced her to Janardhan.

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