They are no longer hush hush deals struck under cover of the night. The hustle and bustle of shopping malls in the city are a perfect cover for sale of sex. The deals thrive in these malls in the midst of shoppers, according to police sources.
Major malls are a hub of escort services that are patronised by the rich, who find it an easy pick-up point for the girls, they say.
While shoppers may not be aware of this seamy side of mall life, the shopkeepers seem to have clued in. “It is common here now. A lot of secret deals are made in the middle of the huge crowds in the mall as nobody really notices what’s going on, because a lot of girls hang around here with male friends every day,” says Mr Arun Mathew, a salesman in one of the major malls.
DC found that the deals they are usually made on the phones. Those looking for escort services call up middlemen, whose phone numbers are listed in city porn websites and once the price, date and time are fixed, the meeting takes place in one of the malls.
Once the customer picks up the girl from the mall, the money is transferred and the girl is later dropped back at the same venue.
The special branch police, which has made no arrests so far at the malls for the sex trade, is, however, aware that they are used to conduct it. “Now malls are being used as well. We’re on the alert and will stop this practice,” asserts Assistant Commissioner of Police, special branch, Mr M.N.Ramesh.