It may be difficult to believe, but flesh trade in Kerala is on the decline.
Raids and identification parades in the serial sex scams – Paravoor, Varapuzha, Kothamangalam – where more than 100 accused have been identified have created a scare among sex workers, agents and customers.
Many of them feel that flesh trade has become a risky and an ‘unviable’ venture in Kerala where there is stricter vigil by the public and the police. And so these sex workers and their agents are now believed to slowly moving to cities in neighbouring states.
“I had been working in Kochi till June but have now moved to Bengaluru where it is less risky,” a middleman told Deccan Chronicle. “There are more men staying alone there when compared to Kerala,” he added.
The Ernakulam Rural superintendent of police, Ms Harshitha Attalluri, also agrees that the decline of flesh trade in Kerala can prove to be harmful for neighbouring states. “The arrests have definitely helped in scaring the sex mafia in the state,” she said.
“The examples of Varapuzha and North Paravoor scams are a clear evidence for the vast links of the sex mafia here. We were able to arrest more than 100 persons. Most of the hot shots in the flesh trade are behind bars now.”
However, sex racketeers are also trying to be innovative by the side. Police are verifying reports that shopping malls have become new hubs for sex rackets.