30 prostitutes arrested at cinema house
KARACHI – Sindh home minister Rauf Siddiqui and CCPO Karachi Tariq Jameel along with a continÂgent of the police and Rangers raided Prince Cinema on M. A. Jinnah Road on August 16, afterÂnoon. 30 alleged prostitutes and more than 200 viewers were arrested in the raid, the police said.
The raid was conducted on a tip-off during the matinee show. The police and Rangers sealed off all entry and exit points of the cinema house and arrested 30 women, alleged to be prostitutes, more than 100 viewers and several staff of the cinema house.
The police said the prostituÂtion business was being run with the connivance of staffers of the cinema, including the manager.
The cinema house was, reportedly, being used as a brothÂel for the past few months. The cinema staff, reportedly, made prostitutes available. Owners of the cinema house told the police and reporters they did not know that prostitution business was being run in the cinema house and they blamed the cinema staff for allowing the dirty business, the police said.
The police said the cinema had been under observation for the past one week. Sindh home minister Rauf Siddiqui superÂvised the raid in the presence of press reporters.
The owner of the cinema house, his son, two managers, an operator and other cinema staff had also been arrested. The home minister ordered immediÂate suspension of the SHO Saddar police station, Chaudhry Abdul Hameed, in whose limits the cinema house was located. He also ordered an inquiry into the matter.
The DIG operation, Fayyaz Leghari, would conduct the inquiry into the inaction by the area police with regard to the dirty business, the police said. The home minister also ordered sealing of the cinema house, the police said. The home minister said in his statement the governÂment wanted to encourage healthy recreation but would not allow this dirty trade in the garb of film shows.
The police claimed investiÂgations conducted so far revealed that ,Rs 500 a man were being charged for providing him with a prostitute inside the cineÂma house and an identification card or a particular mark was allotted to the man.
The police said prostitutes were seated in the cinema at a particular place and they were availed of during the show in darkness. The police claimed prostitutes were paidRs 300 each and Rs 200 were pocketed by cinema staff.
The police said the two mangers of the cinema, Tariq and Javed, and other staff had been arrested.
The arrested women tore reporters they were watching movie in the cinema house. The DIG operation, Fayyaz Lehgari, and the TPO Saddar town, Sanaullah Abbasi, were also present when the raid was conducted.
The arrested men and women have been lodged at Saddar police station. Sources said people thronged Saddar police station at night to get their relations and friends released.
The police were, reportedly being pressured to release those arresfed in the raid on the cinema house. People were, reportedly, making conÂtacts with high officials to pressure the police to release their relations and friends.
Source: Daily Times
Date:8/17/2004
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