The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Ahmedabad Crime Branch has busted an alleged prostitution racket operating under the guise of a spa centre in the Bodakdev area and arrested the owner, police officials said.
The raid was carried out on January 6 at around 5 pm at The Wish Spa, located on the ground floor near Krishna Furniture, opposite SG Mall in Thaltej. The action followed specific intelligence inputs indicating that some spa centres in the city were facilitating prostitution in the name of body massage.
Police identified the accused as Bhupendra Chotelal Rajput (30), a resident of Prahladnagar Garden in Ahmedabad and a native of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh. According to investigators, Rajput had been running the spa for the past one-and-a-half years and allegedly brought women from outside the city to engage in prostitution. He reportedly paid them ₹1,000 per customer while arranging clients for monetary gain.
Based on the tip-off, an AHTU team laid a trap by sending a dummy customer to the spa. Police said that once sexual services were offered and payment was demanded, the raiding team entered the premises and conducted a search.
During the raid, five women were found inside the spa. Preliminary questioning revealed that they were allegedly made to work from 11 am to 8 pm, six days a week, and were paid per customer. Police said the spa had 12 rooms, including 10 massage rooms, a staff room and a waiting area, suggesting organised operations.
Investigators also found evidence of digital transactions, including Google Pay payments allegedly used to collect money from customers. A Hikvision DVR surveillance system installed inside the spa was seized. No other prohibited items were recovered during the search, police added.
“The owner personally handled staff attendance and financial transactions. The spa was being used as a front to run a brothel in violation of the law,” a Crime Branch official said.
An FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Police said further investigation is underway to identify other individuals involved, including possible agents and customers, and to determine the full extent of the illegal operation.