Fake letterheads used to invite actresses

$1,000-$1,200 WAS THE FEE CUSTOMERS PAID

Law enforcement officials in the United States who are investigating the Tollywood to Chicago prostitution racket have discovered that the arrested couple Kishan Modugumudi alias Sreeraj Chennapathi and Chandrakala Purmina Modugumuda alias Vebha Jayam used the letterheads of various Telugu associations based in the United States to facilitate the visit of Tollywood actresses to the country.

An affidavit filed in the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois by the Special Agent, Homeland Security Investigations, stated that a victim referred to as Victim A, who is said to be a Tollywood actress, was to visit the United States to be honoured by the Telugu Association of Southern California (TASC) at an event last year. However, TASC denied issuing any such letter to facilitate the visit of the actress.

Another Telugu Association — the North America Telugu Society (NATS) — was also investigated by law enforcement officials and it too categorically denied holding any conference at Renaissance Centre in Schaumburg, Illinois last November where actresses from the Tamil film industry were invited. In fact the Renaissance Centre was not engaged for any such event.

Letterheads of the American Telugu Association were also found by the police during the investigation and the ATA too denied that such events.

The email accounts of Sreeraj revealed that he had obtained several letters from various associations to arrange the visits of Tollywood and Kannada actresses who were then allegedly lured into prostitution. The officials checked several emails in two accounts reportedly being used by Chennuppati. The accounts were used to purchase air tickets for the visiting actresses too. Using these Ids about 42 reservations were made in various hotels using different names. The couple who allegedly organised the prostitution racket collected between $1,000 and $1,200 from customers.

The American police who mentioned in the chargesheet that Chandrakala Modugumudi alias Vebha Jayam, dealt with financial matters and in the ledger seized from her law enforcement officials found that the service was categorised depending upon the victim.

Customers were charged between US $1,000$2,500 depending on the time the women spent with the customers and what she was required to do.

The chargesheet said that Vebha Jayam had often bargained for a better deal for herself and paid about half the money to the victims while pocketing the rest.