Law enforcing agencies in the US have arrested one Modugumudi Kishan and his 31-year-old wife Chandra alias Vebha Jayam for allegedly running a sex racket involving young Telugu and Kannada actresses.
The businessman-turned-producer NRI allegedly trafficked Tollywood and Kannada actresses into America for engaging in commercial sex with Indians on the pretext of performing at Telugu and other Indian conferences, reported Times of India.
The US agents have identified at least five women from the Telugu and Kannada film industry, who were illegally taken into Chicago with for prostitution by Kishan and Chandra, a small-time Tollywood production manager couple.
What’s shocking is that both of them have been illegally living in the US. Their stunning involvement in the prostitution racket came to light after the US Homeland Security Investigations personnel arrested the couple on 28 April in Washington. A criminal case against the couple has been filed in an Illinois court.
Actresses presented as sex object in international conferences
The couple would lure actresses from Hyderabad and Bengaluru to the US before presenting them to potential customers at the international conferences across the US. The highest bidders would often get to have sex with the actresses. On an average a client paid up to $ 3,000 for one sexual encounter.
The couple purchased airline tickets and booked hotel rooms for the victims and harboured them either at Modugumudi’s residence in Chicago or hotel rooms across the country, reported Times of India. “The accused would take the victims to Telugu and other Indian conferences held across the US to identify potential customers who would pay them to engage in commercial sex,” the HSI alleged in the complaint.
Federal agents have also recorded statements from the ‘victims’ and customers, taken note of their hotel records. One client in particular has reportedly confessed to paying to have sex with a Telugu actress. In one of the searches, the US border patrol team also found documents, credit cards and a handwritten note on Maritto Hotel stationery from the arrested couple. They also seized 70 condoms in multiple ziplock bags from their Chicago residence.
On the note, the name of a Telugu filmstar was written and ‘Washington DC’ and ‘January 19 morning’, ‘Room Number 2018’ ‘two times” and later Room No. 404 ‘one time’ was written.
Kishan, who is reported to have produced several Telugu films, apparently also threatened a well-known actress and her family of dire consequences if they told the US law enforcing agencies about their activities.