SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Police said to have busted a prostitution racket by arresting six accused persons in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. 

"Baramulla Police received an information through reliable sources to the effect that some persons are involved in immoral Activities in one rented house near Bus Stand Baramulla", said a police spokesperson in a statement issued to GNS. 

"Acting upon the information Police Party led by Inspector Vilayat Hussain, SHO PS Baramulla under the supervision of Sh. Altaf Ahmad-JKPS, DySP Hqrs Baramulla busted the prostitution racket."

The racket, the statement reads, was run by Lateef Ahmad Chechi S/O Mohammad Younis Chechi R/O Malangam Bandipora (Tenant), Altaf Ahmad Dar S/O Ghulam Ahmad Dar R/O Kralhar Baramulla, Khurshid Ahmad Chechi S/O Abdul Rashid Chechi R/O Malangam Bandipora, Manzoor Ahmad Khan S/O Saifuddin Khan R/O Qazi Hamam Baramulla and two female sex workers (name withheld) we're detained.

"A case FIR No.136/2023 under sections 3,4,8 of Illicit Trafficking Prevention Act has been registered at Police Station Baramulla", reads the statement. 
 
All citizens are requested to do tenant verification if they have given their Houses/rooms/shops on rent, reads the statement further. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: District Magistrate Srinagar on Wednesday ordered the property owners and landlords to furnish details of tenants within a period of ten days.

Citing a letter by Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar the District Magistrate said that the recent incident in Bagh-e-Mehtab has necessitated conducting the verification of the tenants as the district has a good number of people from other places putting up all across.

“Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, vide his letter No. 01-23/12741-42 dated: 03-4-2023 and No. CS/01-23/12910-12, dated: 04-04.2023 has reported that Srinagar being a capital city, a good number of people from other places are putting up in the District Srinagar in the rented accommodation. Investigation in multiple incidents of social crime including theft/burglary has revealed that the persons involved in such activities have been staying as tenants in Srinagar city which poses a danger to the ordinary Citizens. On April, 3rd, 2023 an incident of immoral trafficking came to the fore in the Bagh-i-Mehtab area of Srinagar city falling within the jurisdiction P/S Channapora. During the preliminary investigations it has been divulged that accused persons hail from outside of District Srinagar and had hired a private house in the said area. Further, the house-owner, where the illicit racket was busted, had not conducted tenant verification and whereas, the surfacing of the racket has evoked outrage among the public circles having a tendency to become a law and order issue thus necessitating putting in place measures for stopping such illicit / immoral activities”, reads the content of the order.

“Whereas time and again it has also been brought to the notice of undersigned that few incidents of acid attack/eve teasing have occurred in the recent past in the District which are in turn damaging the social fabric of society thus calling for putting the deterrence measures in place. SSP, Srinagar vide above mentioned communication/s has requested that there is an imminent need to conduct verification of tenants staying in rented accommodations in various parts of the city as there have been instances of social crimes and illicit activities”, it reads.

“Whereas, SSP, Srinagar vide above mentioned communication/s has requested that there is an imminent need to conduct verification of tenants staying in rented accommodations in various parts of the city as there have been instances of social crimes and illicit activities. It is necessary that some steps are taken to make the landlords, property owners accountable before renting out or making available their premises to tenants, so that such criminals / anti-social /anti-national elements in the guise of tenants do not succeed in the Commission of crime in the Community.”

“Whereas, I consider the threat being posed by such anti-social elements as an imminent apprehended danger to public safety and security that warrants immediate preventive measures”, the order reads.

“Now, therefore, for the reasons stated in the preceding paras, and in exercise of powers vested in me under various Sections of Cr.P.C, I, District Magistrate, Srinagar do hereby order and require all landlords, owners of properties, attorney holders, persons in-charge of premises in any capacity (hereafter called as building owners) located in the entire jurisdiction of District Srinagar to comply strictly with the following directions: a) All Building Owners shall after the issuance of this order and within ten days of letting/ sub-letting / renting out his/her house or part thereof to any tenant(s), submit without fail the detailed particulars of the tenant(s) to be signed by both the owner and the tenant(s) to the concerned Police Station, either in person or by registered post addressed to the concerned Station House Officer; b) The Building Owners who have already let/sub-let/rented out their house(s) or part(s) thereof to any tenant on any date prior to issuance of this order, shall within ten days after the issuance of this order submit without fail the detailed particulars of the tenants to the concerned police station; c) All arrangements of letting or sub-letting the property like "paying Guest" tenants etc, shall be covered by this order; d) Every SHO in Srinagar District shall maintain a separate register for such purpose.”

“This order shall come into force with immediate effect and it shall remain in force for a period of 60 days, unless withdrawn earlier. Any violation of this order shall invite punitive action under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code, 1860 and other relevant sections of the Cr.P.C”, reads the order adding the Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar will implement this order. (GNS)

SRINAGAR: Police on Tuesday said that the house owner where Prostitution Racket was busted has been booked under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act.

In a tweet, Srinagar police wrote, "Owner of the house used for immoral activities namely: Altaf Hussain Afaki S/o Asadullah Afaki R/o chanapora arrested under section 3 of Immoral Trafficking prevention act 1956(ITPA). Proceedings started for formal attachment/sealing of house as per section 18 of ITPA,"

It's pertinent to mention that A prostitution racket in a rented accommodation at Bagh-e-Mehtab was busted yesterday. 

Police had said that two persons running this racket were arrested: Irshad Ahmad Bhat of Pampore and Mohd Shafi Hajam of Karimabad Pulwama. Four female sex workers (all locals of Srinagar) & 2 customers were detained. FIR registered at chanpura PS.(GNS)

SRINAGAR: Police have booked the house owner, whose house was being used as a ‘prostitution centre’ in the Bagh-e-Mehtab locality of Srinagar outskirts.
   Locals have demanded strict action against the house owner for renting his vacant house to tainted tenants without any police verification.
  As reported earlier, police arrested 8 persons, including 4 female sex workers from Srinagar, 2 kingpins from Pulwama, and two customers also from Srinagar during a raid in the Bagh-e-Mehtab area.
   Police said that the rented house was being used as a prostitution centre.
   The house owner has been identified as Altaf Hussain Afaqi son of late Asadullah Afaqi, a resident of Zalosa village of Charar-e-Sharif Budgam, who presently lives at Chanapora.
   As per the police, the whole racket was run from Afaqi’s rented house.
   “How can he rent his house to people whom he doesn’t know and that too without any police verification? The house owner must be taken to task and booked under relevant sections of law as he brought disrepute to the whole Bagh-e-Mehtab locality,” an elderly man from the area told news agency Kashmir News Trust.
   Another man from the local Masjid Committee while appreciating the role of police said that locals were shocked after the news broke. “It’s a colony and nobody knows anybody. We demand strict action against the house owner first and then against others,” he said.
   Sources said that the house owner is a retired government employee who is a native of Budgam district and owns 3 houses, each one at Zalosa Charar-e-Sharif, Chanapora and Bagh-e-Mehtab. His late father had been a prolific writer known for his works on Sheikh-ul-Aalam (RA) while his brother runs a popular school in Budgam district.
   Police sources said that Altaf Hussain Afaqi has been booked for not bothering to verify the background of tenants through police as prescribed by the law.
   For the unversed, two kingpins, Irhad Bhat son of Shaban Bhat, a resident of Kadlabal Pampore Pulwama and Shafi Hajam son of Qayoom Hajam from Karimabad Pulwama have already been booked by police while a formal FIR vide number 19/2023 under section 3,4,8 of Immortal trafficking act stands registered at police station Chanapora. [KNT]

SRINAGAR: Police on Monday evening claimed to have busted Prostitution racket in Bagh-e-Mehtab area of Central Kashmir's Srinagar district.

In a tweet, Srinagar police wrote, "A prostitution racket in a rented accommodation at Bagh-e-Mehtab busted. 2 persons running this arrested, Irshad Ahmad Bhat of Pampore, Mohd Shafi Hajam of Karimabad Pulwama. 4 female sex workers (all locals of Srinagar) & 2 customers detained. FIR registered at chanpura PS,".(GNS)