Sex racket at DCP bungalow

Probe reveals that spa, where prostitution den was flourishing, had been rented out to its owner by one of city's top cops, Nandkumar Chougule. 

 

An intense two-week-long investigation to trace a flourishing prostitution racket to its source has led the police to an address owned by one of their own men.





Spa-cial treatment: No action has been taken against Nandkumar

Chougule (right) for renting out the bungalow (left) that has been

converted into a spa. Pic/ Milind Karekar



A raid conducted by officers of the Social Service (SS) Branch at the Cleopatra Day Spa located in Seven Bungalows, Andheri (West) -- and subsequent investigations -- have revealed that the proprietor of the MHADA plot is one of the guardians of law and order in the city -- the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Nandkumar Chougule.



Chougule had rented out the plot to Saroj Bhakuni, who allegedly converted it to a swank spa, only to use it as a front for her dubious trade.



While cops have been quick to register an FIR against Bhakuni and two of her colleagues who were assisting her in operating the racket. But they seem to be dragging their feet when it comes to booking one of their own men.





Dirty Picture: Nandkumar Chougule had rented out the plot to Saroj

Bhakuni, who allegedly converted it to a swank spa. Police officials said

that the staff members of the spa used to liaise with regular customers

and dispatch female sex-trade workers to offer their services.

Representation pic



Going by precedents set by similar investigations in the past, it is customary for the SS Branch to book and arrest the proprietors of the premises found running prostitution rackets. But inside sources claim that the officers of the SS branch have capitulated to the mounting pressure put on it by the DCP, and shoved the matter under the proverbial carpet, refraining from forwarding the shocking piece of information to their superiors.



Investigations carried out by MiD DAY have revealed that the bungalow is registered under the name of Chougule's wife Madhuri.



However, it is Chougule who handles all the paperwork on behalf of his spouse. Chougule had rented out the plot to Bhakuni on the basis of a leave-and-license agreement.



The latter then took permission to run a spa in the premises, but appears to have used it as cover for what was in reality the headquarter of a sex-trade racket.



"More than seven girls involved in the flesh trade were rescued from the premises, during the raid on December 10. We have arrested the spa owner, Saroj Bhakuni, and two of her colleagues under the Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act. The details regarding the ownership of the bungalow have been forwarded to the local police station, where officers are making further investigations," said an officer from the SS branch, on condition of anonymity.



"Chougule was unaware of what was happening within the premises of the property owned by him. There is a clearly articulated clause in the agreement, which unequivocally states that if any illegal activities are carried out within the bungalow, Chougule is free to terminate the agreement," said a police officer from Versova police station.



The raid

On December 10, the SS Branch sent one of its officers as a decoy customer to the Cleopatra Day Spa, after receiving a tip-off about the illegal activities thriving within the premises.



When the decoy corroborated the information received in the tip-off, officials swooped in and arrested Bhakuni and her accomplices, invoking the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act.



The arresting team also recovered a cheque worth Rs 36,000, two bill books and cash worth Rs 64,700 cash from the counter. All three accused were produced before a court and were remaded in police custody till

December 12.



Investigating officials divulged that the staff members of the spa used to liaise with regular customers and dispatch female sex-trade workers to offer their services.







The other side

When contacted, Chougule refused to comment on the matter. When the Commissioner of Police was contacted after a slew of phone calls and messages, he said,  "I will check and revert."

Dutch teenager raped in auto Photos, videos

The 18-year-old was on her way back home from a friend's place on Sunday night, when the unidentified rickshaw driver and his accomplice took her to a deserted spot in the Aarey forests and brutally violated her

 

An evening of Christmas cheer turned into a macabre night of horrors for an 18-year-old girl from the Netherlands, who was raped by an auto driver and his accomplice in the jungles near the Aarey Milk Colony. She used her self-defense skills to finally escape from their clutches and run for help, which she ultimately found from residents of a building near the Vanrai police station in Goregaon (East).





Helping hand: Hearing the victim's terrified shrieks coming from behind

the building, Kamal Sheesh Upre (below), a resident of Om building,

climbed the 8-ft high boundary wall adjoining the Aarey forest, and

pulled her to safety







According to the victim's statement and eyewitness accounts received from the residents of Om building, Emma (name changed) had landed in Mumbai 15 days prior to the incident. On Christmas day, she visited a friend's house in Vasai. A male friend accompanied her on her way back to her lodgings.



At 1 am, the two flagged a rickshaw at Vasai, to take them to the Dahisar check post. They flagged down another rickshaw after crossing the check post.



After her friend got off the rickshaw at Kandivli, Emma asked the driver to proceed towards her residence in Mulund, via the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, as she was well-versed with the route.



She smelt a whiff of danger when the driver halted his vehicle after crossing Malad. It was then that another man boarded the rickshaw, sitting next to the driver.





Cops have circulated sketches of the two accused on the basis of the

description provided by the girl.



Suddenly, the driver veered to take a left turn, and started speeding in the direction of the Aarey Milk Colony. He paid no heed to Emma's cries and repeated instructions to take the JVLR route.



When the auto reached a deserted spot behind the Vanrai police station, the driver's accomplice vacated the front seat and stepped into the backseat, next to Emma. She struggled to resist his advances, but the man gagged her and removed her jeans. One of her attackers strangulated her, while the other subdued and then raped her.



Emma, who was trained in self-defense, kicked the rapists in the chest, as they forced themselves on her. Bruised and bleeding, she managed to extricate herself from captivity and flee from the spot, leaving behind her bag, which had Rs 8,000 in cash, her iPhone and passport.



Disoriented from the ordeal, Emma saw faint lights shining in the distance. Hopeful of finding aid there, she sped towards it. She started screaming for help when she realised that her two assailants were tailing her.



Hearing terrified shrieks, residents of the Om building rushed to the ground floor, and moved towards the back of the building, from where the girl's screams were emanating. They were horrified to find a bruised and battered, half-clad girl running in the direction of their 8-foot boundary wall. They immediately climbed the wall and helped her up, and wasted no time in taking her to the police station to register a complaint.



Vanrai police have registered a case against the unidentified assailants on charges of kidnap, robbery and rape with common intention. They have prepared sketches of the accused on the basis of Emma's descriptions, and have launched a hunt for the two men.



Copspeak

Additional Commissioner of Police (north region) Ramrao Pawar confirmed the incident, saying, "We have alerted the police officers of the entire north region to investigate this sensitive case. We have issued two sketches.



We suspect that the girl was raped, and have registered a case on the corresponding charges" Emma was sent to her home at Mulund after the incident.



Eyewitness account

Kamal Sheesh Upre (28), a resident of the Om building, said, "It was 1.30 am when I heard cries for help. I was lounging in my rented second floor apartment with my roommates. I looked out of my window on the back wall of the building and saw a shadow running in our direction. I rushed downstairs immediately, but couldn't see anything in the dark. I climbed up the boundary wall and was accosted by a bruised woman, who pleaded for help. We pulled her over the boundary wall into the building premises. We gave her some water and clothes to cover herself, and took her to the police station immediately. She looked like she had been tortured brutally. She had bruises on her face, and cuts all over her body. Her lips were also bruised and cut."

Wife Molested in Picnic Constable beats up OC

A picnic organized by some policemen turned sour after an ugly scuffle between an OC and a constable at a park near Behrampore on Wednesday.

The superior officer, allegedly attracted by the beauty of his subordinate's wife, insisted on getting close to her and kept chasing her with a drink. This infuriated the constable who rained blows on his boss, ignoring warnings that he might be pulled up in office for his "misconduct". Both the OC and the constable were detained by the Behrampore police station after the constable's wife lodged a complaint. Later, both the cops were suspended.

The morning kicked off on a merry note for the police party at the Qasimbazar park, led by the Behrampore GRP officer-in-charge. After some time and several pegs, the OC called the constable aside. "You are lucky to have such a pretty wife. I am an OC but my wife isn't half as good-looking as yours," he is believed to have told the constable. The constable, in high spirits, took the comment in his stride and walked away. Both the policemen were accompanied by their wives and children.

The OC then walked up to the constable's wife. He insisted that she has a peg or two. "It's a chilly morning, you see. How can you go without a drink?" he asked the woman, accosting her at a corner of the park. Even as she tried to ward him off, the OC pulled her hand and even tugged at her saree, she alleged. She sprinted towards her husband with the inebriated OC still in her pursuit.

The enraged constable confronted his boss. "Stay away from my wife," he thundered. Unperturbed by the interception, the OC shot back that he would be pulled up for daring to challenge his superior. But the junior officer remained unflustered by the threat. He rather let loose a series of punches.

Locals rushed in to find the constable pinned to the ground by an aggressive OC. "I am the OC. So dare not touch me," he told the gathering. The Behrampore police station was informed and the cops took the fighting policemen away.

The policemen were detained after the constable's wife lodged a complaint, accusing the OC of molesting her. "We have received a complaint and the policemen have been detained. We shall also speak to the locals to find out what had happened," said Murshidabad SP Annappa E.

Berlo sex row woman has a baby

The teenaged Moroccan at the centre of Silvio Berlusconi's trial for sex with an underage prostitute has had a baby fathered by a nightclub owner more than twice her age, Italian media reported on Tuesday.

Dancer Karima El Mahroug , better known by her stage name "Ruby the Heart-Stealer" , was just 17 when the then prime minister allegedly paid to have sex with her last year, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.

If convicted, the 75-yearold Berlusconi also faces up to 12 years in prison for abuse of power after he allegedly put pressure on the police to have El Mahroug, now 19, released from custody in an unrelated case.

YouTube taps Maria Aragon, talking dog as top 2011 videos

Canadian content in the form of a "talking" German Shepherd and a talented young Lady Gaga fan from Winnipeg made the cut for YouTube's most-watched videos of 2011, joining such viral hits like the universally mocked Rebecca Black music video Friday.

The video-sharing site unveiled on Tuesday its YouTube Rewind 2011 feature, an annual review that details its most popular videos of the year.

The reviled music video Friday, created by production company Ark Music Factory for the young pop singer wannabe Black, topped YouTube's tally of the world's most-watched videos as well as the list specifically focusing on Canadians — who happen to be the largest per-capita consumers of YouTube on the planet, organizers said.