Hotel manager, broker on the mat

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

A hotel manager, a broker and a woman who supplied women to foreign tourists were each fined Rs 1,000,000 by the Mount Lavinia Magistrate when they pleaded guilty last week.

The Magistrate also imposed a one-year jail term on the broker and suspended the sentence for five years, police told the Sunday Observer.

The brothel which was in close proximity to a popular temple at Dehiwela was raided by the Walana Vice Squad prior to the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on the direction of IGP N.K. Illangakoon.

According to police, the hotel manager, the broker and a young woman had supplied women to Indian tourists arriving in the country.

The modus operandi of the manager, the broker and the woman involved in the sex trade came to light following the raid. Police said the broker had been supplying women to foreign tourists at different hotels in Colombo and elsewhere for Rs 8,000.

The Walana Vice Squad raided the brothel after obtaining a search warrant from the Mount Lavinia Magistrate.

The racket was exposed when the hotel manager had shown a photograph of a 21-year-old girl to a decoy police officer who called over at the hotel and thereafter accepted Rs 8,000 from him to bring her along to a hotel at Dehiwela. The broker was involved in transporting her in a luxury car, police said.

Police subsequently learnt that a wealthy businessman was the kingpin behind the racket. He is alleged to have provided accommodation to women prostitutes in Athidiya and Dehiwela. Following the raid, the broker from Panadura was taken, in for questioning along with his luxury vehicle. The broker paid a monthly rental of Rs 80,000 to a Rent-a-Car company in Colombo, police said.

OIC Walana Vice Squad, Inspector Duminda Balasuriya and Sub Inspector Dharmasiri conducted the raid on the direction of Walana Vice Squad, Director, SP Palitha Fernando.