Sudden exodus empties Mumbai8217;s red-light district

The three police stations in the precinct 8211; V P Road, D B Marg and Nagpada 8211; under the jurisdiction of Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone-II, Dr K Venkateshan, have been aggressively and consistently raiding the brothels in the area since January, with a view to rescuing minor girls from the trade and arresting pimps and gharwalis who actively force young women into prostitution. However, with police parties literally raining on the brothels 8211; concentrated at Kamathipura, Falkland Road and Pauwalla Lane 8211; the flow of patrons has also shrunk to a trickle, police say.

But if the objective of the raids, part of a six-point programme started by Dr Venkateshan four months ago, was primarily meant to rescue the 250-odd minor girls here, the side-effects have been unexpectedly dramatic. Police say the majority of prostitutes, forced into the vice-like grip of pimps, found themselves free to leave the profession for the first time ever. Apart from the 30,000 women who have simply vanished, 200-odd prostitutes have been sent to Maiti at Kathmandu and 150 others placed in rehabilitation homes at Chembur and Dongri. Many have also since returned homes in other states. The constant police raids 8211; sometimes at intervals of a few minutes 8211; has forced the gharwalis and pimps underground, as for the clients, well there are hardly any women left to entertain their whims.

The claustrophobic and dingy rooms, cheek-by-jowl on these notorious streets, vary in size, ethnicity and price. Today, they are desolate and largely empty. Some of the rooms, used as torture-chambers to acclimatise uninitiated minors to the trade, are happily vacant as well.

Senior Inspector Suresh Jadhav of the V P Road police station told Express Newsline that of the 3,000 prostitutes in the Falkland Road area, only 200 remain today. The 24-odd gharwalis have gone underground following the police raids, he says. The scenario at 11th, 12th and 13th Kamathipura Lane is no different. A few prostitutes still linger around street corners, but they are no longer aggressive.

8220;We are keeping the brothels under round-the-clock surveillance, which has the brothel-keepers and prostitutes on the run,8221; remarks Senior Inspector Arun Kamath of the D B Marg police station, under whose jurisdiction the infamous Jamuna Mansion and Pauwalla Lane fall. Now, there are more policemen in the area than prostitutes and customers,8221; he laughs.

DCP Zone II Dr K Venkateshan told Express Newsline that about 500 policemen have been deployed in the red-light area for round-the-clock surveillance. 8220;Not only are brothels raided, but policemen have also been stationed at strategic locations to keeps unwary customers away.8221;

Though exact figures are not available, he says 70-odd pimps and gharwalis have been arrested in the last year but most of them have been released on bail after simple imprisonment. Police have now listed 24 key pimps and gharwallis for arrest.