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Howrah sex racket case: Main accused arrested, mother and kingpin Shweta Khan absconding
A 22-year-old woman had alleged that the mother-son duo had confined her in their flat for six months and tortured her for not agreeing to shoot pornography.
The West Bengal Police on Wednesday arrested Ariyan Khan, one of the prime accused in the Howrah sex and pornographic film racket case, Howrah police commissioner Praveen Kumar Tripathi said.
Ariyan Khan was arrested from a hideout in the Golf Green area of South Kolkata. One of his accomplices has also been apprehended, according to PTI.
Ariyan was apprehended after evading arrest for five days, an officer told the news agency, adding that his mother and the primary suspect in the case, Shweta Khan, also known as Fultusi, is still at large.
"We have held Ariyan from a residence in Golf Green. He is currently being questioned. We will share the details of our investigation with you in some time," Howrah Police Commissioner Praveen Tripathi told reporters.
What is the case about?
Last week, a 22-year-old woman had alleged that the mother-son duo had confined her in their Bankra-Fakirpara flat in Domjur for six months and had mercilessly tortured her for not agreeing to shoot pornography and work as a bar dancer, according to the police.
The woman, who had managed to escape from the flat, claimed that Ariyan had called her there under the pretext of offering a job at his event management company – an entity that turned out to be fake by the police during the investigation.
The victim is currently undergoing treatment at the Critical Care Unit at the state-run Sagar Dutta Hospital with serious and multiple injuries on her head, limbs and internal organs, according to PTI.
Earlier, taking suo-motu cognisance of the case, the National Commission for Women has written to the West Bengal DGP seeking an action-taken report within the next 48 hours and has directed the state authorities to provide free medical care and psychological counselling to the victim.
The victim's mother has also reportedly written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused, seeking justice for her daughter after reports that her physical condition deteriorated since Tuesday evening.
