Woman kingpin of flesh trade racket arrested

LUCKNOW: A woman kingpin accused of pushing young girls into flesh trade by luring them with jobs was arrested from Jankipuram police area here on Sunday. She was at large since January 3 when a 19-year-old girl from Varanasi lodged a police complaint with Jankipuram police station against her and her aides after escaping from their clutches.

The woman was identified as Shobha alias Somvati Singh, a resident of Bijnor. Earlier, five people including two women, Surjeet and his wife Suman, Mohammed Tauheed and his wife Soni and Mani Shankar Shukla of the same racket were arrested on January 3 on the tip off from the victim girl. She had escaped when she was sent to meet a client in Jankipuram area.

Additional superintendent of police (ASP), trans-Gomti, Harendra Kumar said the victim had earlier told the police that although she had met Shobha for the first time on January 3, the five accused arrested earlier alleged that she was their gang leader and managed entire things.

He said the girl had also alleged the gang leader had links with several white collared people who helped her in running her racket and rescued her whenever police raided their places.

Kumar said the woman was trapped when she had come to meet her ailing mother in sector 6, Jankipuram. He said the woman has been sent to jail on charges of pushing girl into prostitution, holding her hostage and running a flesh trade racket.

The victim girl had told the cops that she landed in their trap when she had sought financial help from a girl in Varanasi when her mother was ill. She said the girl gave her an accused Mani Shankar’s contact number. She said Mani Shankar assured her to provide job and asked her to come to Lucknow. She said Mani Shankar took her to another accused Surjeet’s house in Vrindavan colony of PGI area when she reached Lucknow few months back.

She said Surjeet and his wife held her hostage for multiple days and pushed her into prostitution after threatening her of dire consequences if she tried to escape. She said she was later handed over to Mohammed Tauhid and his wife Soni who used to send her to their clients in different clubs and houses.

She said the couple thereafter took her to a house owned by Mani Shanker’s paramour Shobha on Wednesday from where she was sent to another client’s house. She said Shobha allegedly also had links with some cops who help her run the racket.