36 held for 'illegal' activities in call centre

Amitava Banerjee | MP |3 July 2019 | Darjeeling: Police on Wednesday raided a house in Baghajatin Park area in Siliguri from where an illegal call centre was being allegedly run. Thirty-one women and five men were arrested in connection with this incident.

Police are of the belief that illegal activities were taking place in the guise of the call centre.

The police seized many mobile phones, sim cards and documents from the house.

There are reports that numerous call centres that operate as friendship clubs and dating agencies have mushroomed in different parts of Siliguri.

Police have initiated an investigation. The house belongs to a lawyer. Around one year ago a person in the name of Prashanta Chowdhury had taken the house on rent. Chowdhury is a resident of Dabgram. They had claimed that they were using the premises for travel agency business. Mostly women used to work in the travel agency.

However police on a tip off raided the premises. Prima facie police are suspecting that a flesh trade racket was being run along with telephonic dating service.

Online the customers used to strike a deal and then the women would be taken to fixed locations including hotels and apartments.

Police have seized computers, laptops from the premises. Interrogation is on.

The owner stated that he had kept a copy of pan card, epic card and Adhar card of his tenant along with a copy of the trade license. He has handed all these documents to the police.