In a bid to stop the thriving sex trade at many residential hotels in the capital, a senior judicial magistrate of Dhaka issued a suo moto rule on Thursday, directing the authorities concerned to take appropriate actions to stop this illegal practice.
Senior Judicial Magistrate of Dhaka, Taiyabul Hasan, ordered the Inspector General of Police, the Deputy Inspector General of Police of Dhaka range and the Dhaka Superintendent of Police to take necessary measures, including shutting down hotels and arresting hotel owners and managers for their involvement in the prostitution business.
According to sources, many residential hotels based in Ashulia area are involved in the sex trade. Law enforcers of Ashulia police station sometimes conduct raids at these establishments, but these raids seem to be only an eyewash.
Police have raided Ballobondhu Residential Hotel, Hotel Holiday International, Hotel Palace De Rifaz and Hotel Rose Garden located in Jaamgora area of Ashulia several times and arrested some prostitutes with their clients but never dared to arrest any hotel managers and owners during drive.
The recurrence of these crimes could not be prevented as police does not file cases against hotel managers and owners under Section 6 of the Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act 1933, experts said.
Each case statements mentioned that police could not seize hotel register books as the hotel owner, manager, or unidentified employee fled the scene with the book upon sensing police presence. This served to endorse the popular belief that the business are being operated with police aid.
On July 31, police conducted raids at different hotels in Ashulia and detained 10 sex workers and their clients from Ballobodhu Residential hotel, but refrained from arresting the hotel owner and manager.
Senior Judicial Magistrate Taiyabul Hasan said an immoral business like prostitution is not to be stopped by only filing cases. Prevalence of the crime in the same hotels even after filing lawsuits bears testament to this.
"Hotel owners and managers should be arrested and placed before court to curb this sort of criminal activities. In addition, hotels that harbour prostitution activities should also be sealed off in accordance with the law."
"Preventing a disease and curing it are not the same things," he observed.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Additional Public Prosecutor of Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Anwarul Kabir Babul said it was possible to erase the unethical practice from society if the court's directives are properly implemented and the observations followed.
