The Ahmedabad Police on Thursday raided Manana Spa in One World West near Vakil Bridge on Bopal Ring Road, uncovering an alleged prostitution racket operating under the guise of a massage parlour. The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the city crime branch led the operation, arresting the spa manager and rescuing seven women involved in the illegal activities.
According to the FIR filed at Sarkhej Police Station, the raid was carried out around 3:45 pm following a tip-off that sexual services were being offered to customers under the pretext of massages. The accused, identified as Mayur Purbiya (24), a resident of Vejalpur, was caught at the scene, while the alleged owner, Sonia Kaur, remains absconding.
Investigations revealed that women were brought from different states and paid ₹500 per customer. The spa also lacked valid operational documents and had not conducted mandatory police verification of its staff.
Acting on the intelligence, AHTU deployed a decoy customer to confirm the illegal activities before conducting the raid, accompanied by NGO representatives. The premises had nine partitioned rooms, including seven massage rooms, a staff room, a kitchen, and two washrooms.
The seven rescued women hail from Haryana, Surendranagar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Patan, and Ahmedabad. They told police they were forced to work daily from 11 am to 10 pm for minimal pay. Officers seized ₹2,000 in cash and a DVR worth ₹1,500 for forensic analysis of CCTV footage.
A case has been registered under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Police said efforts are ongoing to locate the absconding woman and probe possible links to other similar operations.