Delhi Police bust Paharganj spa sex racket, rescue 8 women; 4 arrested
Synopsis
Delhi Police used a decoy customer and a tip from a secret informer to bust an alleged sex racket at Look Life Spa in Paharganj on 21 September — arresting the spa owner and three others while rescuing eight women from as far as Nepal and Kolkata. A multi-state network is suspected, and investigators are working to establish its full reach.
Key Takeaways
Delhi Police raided Look Life Spa in Multani Dhanda, Paharganj on 21 September 2026 .
Four people were arrested, including spa owner Vivek Kumar, 27 , and manager Dashrath Mandal, 36 .
Eight women were rescued from locations spanning Kolkata, Nepal, Noida, Punjab and Delhi .
Case registered as FIR No.
419/2026 under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act at Nabi Karim police station .
Investigation ongoing to establish the full network and determine the racket's duration.
Delhi Police on 21 September 2026 busted an alleged sex racket being run from a spa in the Multani Dhanda area of Paharganj, arresting four people and rescuing eight women during the operation. The raid targeted Look Life Spa, operating from the second and third floors of Property No. 9139, Gali No. 3, and was carried out by a team from Nabi Karim police station under the supervision of the ACP, Paharganj.
How the Operation Unfolded
The action was triggered after a secret informer approached Sub-Inspector Neeraj Rathi at around 7 pm on 21 September, providing specific information about illegal activity at the spa. The information was immediately relayed to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Nabi Karim police station, following which a multi-member raiding team was assembled. SI Amit was deployed as a decoy customer to verify the tip before the full team moved in.
The Accused and Their Backgrounds
Police identified the four arrested individuals as Vivek Kumar, 27, a Multani Dhanda resident and the spa's owner; Dashrath Mandal, 36, a resident of Maheshpur in Jharkhand and the spa's manager; Aman, 20, from Pilkhi Nawada village in Chhapra, Bihar; and Guddu Karmakar, 27, from the Tilamore police station area in Loni, Ghaziabad. According to police, all four disclosed their involvement in running and facilitating the alleged illegal activity during interrogation.
Women Rescued: Details
The eight women rescued from the premises hailed from multiple locations, including Kolkata, Nepal, Paharganj, Noida, Punjab, and Okhla Phase-II in Delhi. Their varied origins suggest the operation may have had connections across state and national borders, though investigators have not yet confirmed the full scope of the network.
Legal Action and Investigation Status
A case has been registered as FIR No. 419/2026, dated 21 September 2026, at Nabi Karim police station under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Relevant evidence was seized from the premises during the raid. Authorities said further investigation is underway to determine how long the racket had been operating, trace other individuals involved, and establish the complete network. This is the latest in a series of anti-trafficking operations conducted by Delhi Police in the Paharganj area, which has historically been flagged as a zone of concern for such activity.
Point of View
West Bengal, Bihar and Delhi — points to a trafficking pipeline that goes well beyond a single spa in Paharganj. The use of a decoy customer indicates prior intelligence limitations, raising questions about how long the operation ran undetected. Paharganj's status as a high-footfall tourist and transit hub makes it a recurring flashpoint for such rackets, yet enforcement remains largely reactive. Sustained, intelligence-led policing rather than one-off raids will be needed to meaningfully disrupt the networks feeding operations like this one.
NationPress
22 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Paharganj spa raid on 21 September 2026?
Delhi Police raided Look Life Spa in Multani Dhanda, Paharganj on 21 September 2026 after a tip from a secret informer, arresting four people and rescuing eight women from an alleged sex racket. The spa was operating from the second and third floors of a property in Gali No. 3.
Who were the four people arrested in the Paharganj spa raid?
The four arrested are Vivek Kumar (27), the spa's owner; Dashrath Mandal (36), the manager from Jharkhand; Aman (20), from Chhapra in Bihar; and Guddu Karmakar (27), from Loni in Ghaziabad. All four reportedly disclosed their roles in the alleged illegal activity during interrogation.
Under which laws were the accused charged?
A case was registered under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act at Nabi Karim police station as FIR No. 419/2026, dated 21 September 2026. These sections deal with running a brothel, living on the earnings of prostitution, and procuring persons for prostitution.
Where were the eight rescued women from?
The eight women rescued during the raid came from Kolkata, Nepal, Paharganj, Noida, Punjab, and Okhla Phase-II in Delhi. Their diverse origins suggest the alleged racket may have involved inter-state and cross-border networks, which police are now investigating.
What is the current status of the investigation?
Investigations are ongoing at Nabi Karim police station to establish the full network, identify other individuals involved, and determine how long the alleged racket had been operating. Relevant evidence seized during the raid is also being examined.
