"If a parlour offers male masseurs, it means their services include much more," A worker of a massage parlour.
Offering ‘massage services’, the shady parlours - called Organic and Silk - were found running prostitution dens. The police caught the parlour employees red-handed as both the male and female workers of the parlours were busy ‘pleasing’ their clients. “Under the garb of massage and beauty parlours, prostitution was being carried out [in these facilities] so we took them [workers] into custody,” said the SHO of Darakshan police station, Zawar Hussain.
The police arrested eight women and four men from the two parlours on the day but vowed to carry more raids in the future. In all, they located four such parlours that are, in fact, prostitution dens.
Soon after the raid began, news spread to other parlours who pulled down their shutters before the police could reach their facilities. According to SHO Hussain, the police have located the owner of one of the parlours, a man called Jimmy, who was nominated in the FIR as well.
The police denied, however, that there was any political pressure or influence when they were carrying out these raids. It was, in fact, the residents of the commercial area who were perturbed by the situation and had complained to them about shady practices in these massage parlours, he explained. “There are more in other commercial areas of DHA and soon we will carry out action against them.”
Darakshan police have registered a case under section 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the people arrested. On Friday, the arrested workers were presented in the sessions court but were granted bail by a judicial magistrate in district South.
The police clarified that none of the female workers were forced into prostitution. They had all chosen to do it on their own, said Hussain. “They would come in the mornings and leave at night.”
Several such beauty parlours are located in this area and The Express Tribune had located one such facility in Khadda Market, behind the Red Riding Hood bakery, where much more was being offered in the name of massage.
One worker for a 10th Street Salon located in Khadda market said that though she was aware that such places existed, her’s offered no such services. If a parlour offers male masseurs it means their services include much more, she explained. “Most of the parlours offering massage services don’t indulge in dirty businesses,” she clarified. “Those who do are always fearful because they know they can be caught anytime.”
Meanwhile, a worker of a beauty parlour Super Deluxe in the same neighbourhood, admitted that while their parlour offers no such services, their business goes down after such raids. “When news gets out about these raids, people doubt the work we do and then it takes time to build confidence among clients again.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2013.
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The Red Light area from Napier Road has spread to all over Karachi and more particularly at some places of Clifton and Defence areas of Karachi.
There are a lot of people who also says that "Beauty Parlours" are also providing the same services as of "Massage Parlours", but the exceptions are always there.
As far as the Massage Parlours are concerned they are operating with the cooperation of area Police Stations and the services of Massage Parlours are also been utilized by the Police personnel.
Probably, the raided Massage Parlours may not given the monthly Bhatta to the Police and that is one of the reasons that these Massage Parlours have been raided.
Or, I don't know when did the Policemen became "True Muslims"?
whats up with the display picture of this article!?
Wht no negotiations with thm...oh sorry thats only for murderers in the land of pure. When will pakiatan gget their priorities right
Better controlled prostitution than rape all over the place.
So ET has become the super crusader. Probably did not grease the palms of their protector or did not provide free service to a reporter.
These have been there for ages, why being raided now? All parties knew of their existence.
Prostitution, is a bi-product of misery in the society. Eliminate poverty, bring education, employment, and health services in a region and such activities will be minimized. These are my girls/boys who have to sell their body to get food to the table, not much different than those who sell organs. For how long will we keep ourselves delusional about the real problem in our society? Lack of work opportunities and the continuous inflation? Our rulers have no sympathy for the middle and lower class, they blatantly implement policies which are detrimental to the society without having any foresight of the consequences.
"so we took them [workers] into custody"
So, the location of the new Massage Parlors is the Darakshan Police Dept Office, please contact the SHO for booking a time slot.
Pakistan Defence Parlour
If massage parlours are bad for society and need to shut down..............what about the so called madrassas attached to thousands of mosques run by half-wit maulvis that are the breeding grounds for extremists. Let us for once look ourselves in the eye and acknowledge the hypocrisy.
This is called a "Happy Ending".