Thirty-two WhatsApp messages, 15 phone numbers, and photos of over 150 young women in a span of 24 hours – an investigation into 'illegal spas' and 'prostitution rackets' in the national capital has led the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to online portal Justdial.com.
DCW chief Swati Maliwal has now summoned Justdial.com regarding this, and has also sent a notice to Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) regarding filing an FIR in the matter. Maliwal said that as a part of the inquiry, her team reached out to the online portal seeking information on spas in Delhi, when they started receiving these calls and WhatsApp messages.
In the notice to the senior Delhi Police officer, she said, "In almost all the calls and messages received, pictures of girls and the 'rates' of their services were shared." In the notice, Maliwal also shared the screenshots of the messages.
She further wrote that some messages claimed to provide "body to body massage" and "sandwich massage" with "beautiful and young India and foreign national girls."
Maliwal said that her team had "only requested details for spa service" but that was "automatically construed as a request for sex, and the so-called spas automatically provided details regarding the illegal prostitution activities they are indulging in."
In the notice sent to Justdial.com, the DCW has ought information regarding number of spas registered with the portal, along with their address; details of procedure adopted by Justdial for registration of these spas; details of complaints received against these spas; among other things. DCW has asked Justdial.com to appear before it on 12 November, 2021.
In the notice to the Delhi Police, the DCW has demanded that an FIR be filed in the matter, and that steps taken by the police against spas that promote commercial sexual exploitation be shared with them, by 12 November 2021.
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