Illegal spa racket under scrutiny as police widen crackdown in Kozhikode city

The police have stepped up their crackdown on illegal spas and massage centres, inspecting around 70 establishments, and shutting down 20 for lack of adequate documents, and issuing closure notices to six others in Kozhikode city amid growing concerns over unlawful activities in the sector.

The intensified drive follows a recent incident in which a 20-year-old woman was allegedly sexually tortured in Kochi ahead of joining a spa, prompting the Home Department to tighten surveillance of establishments in the sector. The recent exposure of Bangladeshi women allegedly working as spa therapists using forged documents has further heightened concerns over the verification of employees’ identities and credentials.

Following the flash inspections conducted on October 17 covering all suspected locations, the police registered cases at four police stations — Elathur, Kasaba, Town and Nadakkavu — and arrested four persons during the inspections. The search was carried out with the support of a special squad under the supervision of District Police Chief (Kozhikode city) A.P. Shoukathali.