In a joint operation, the city police and members of two NGOs on Friday rescued six women, allegedly pushed into prostitution, from a lodge near Pumpwell Junction here.
These women were confined in a room with a window-like entrance located in the washroom of an adjacent room.
The police team went with members of Odanaadu Seva Samste and Childline to Hotel Grand Regency at around 8 a.m.
Just as the police entered the hotel, the women, who were in several rooms on the fourth floor, rushed to a room in a corner and disappeared.
Disguised entrance
The police team entered that room and went inside the washroom. It appeared to be a plain wall with tiles but a closer examination revealed the presence of a disguised entrance.
The team broke a portion of the tiles to find a small iron door. They forced the door open and went inside to find the six women. The team searched other rooms on the floor to look for any other such entrances but in vain.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Uma Prashant, who led the raid, said that these six women had been forced into prostitution.
Three women are said to hail from Kolkata, two from Mumbai and one from Bengaluru. After a round of counselling, the women were produced before the jurisdictional Magistrate who sent them to a shelter home.
They will give a statement under oath before the Magistrate in a couple of days, she said. The police have arrested six persons. They are on the lookout for Shekar, owner, and Shivaram, manager of the hotel.
