The Hyderabad police on Friday arrested the director of a city based agro management company along with the firm's manager and an event manager for organising a rave party and bringing women from various places to perform in front of their staff. The police rescued 22 women belonging to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from the party, who were paid to perform dances considered "obscene" at the TOT pub.
While the pub owner and its manager are presently absconding, the police have taken steps to close the pub.
The police during investigation found that the women were hired from Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh and places in Telangana to entertain the guests at the private party arranged by an event manager B Prasad Goud based on a request from Mohamma Moin, manager with Signova Agro Management. Each woman was offered a sum of Rs 3,500 said AR Sinivas, West Zone DCP to ToI. The arrests were made by the Jubilee Hills police.
On January 12 the police raided the TOT pub based on a tip-off to the Banjara hills Assistant Commissioner of Police about 22 women being made to entertain doctors who were guests at the rave party. The rescued women were then taken to city-based rehabilitation centre.
Police told TNM that those arrested have been booked under Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code (trafficking), IPC 294 (singing obscene songs or performance) and Section 109.
“The women were all adults and they were brought from various places. It is a case of trafficking. We were told that this was a get together of the staff. We are still investigating if the party was over a new product the company launched,” a police officer told TNM.
The pub manager Bharat was taken into custody initially and was later released after being issued a notice to appear for questioning at a later time. However, Bharat after his release, is absconding now.
Police have registered cases against Bharat, Moin, Prasad and Srinivas Naidu the director of the Signova Agro Management Pvt Ltd. The owner of the TOT pub, Santosh Reddy, has also been booked in the case but is also absconding.The police have recommended to the Revenue Divisional Office to close down TOT along with two more pubs at Panjagutta for similar offences.