Chennai: The anti-vice squad (AVS) sleuths of Central Crime Branch (CCB) rescued two foreign nationals from a prostitution racket during a raid at a star hotel in Mylapore, on Thursday night.

According to sources, officials closely monitored certain five-star hotels across the city for over a week based on a tip-off.





The police said the nexus had been operating underground for over a year.

"It operated throughout the country with a customer base spread across metropolitan cities," the officials said.

The gang with roots in Bengaluru had carried out all its activities online to evade authorities' attention.

Customers booked their slots online avoiding any direct communication with operators.

"The perpetrators contacted two women hailing from Uzbekistan and Ukraine and brought them to the country using tourist visa. The women were initially taken to Delhi and Mumbai and Chennai," the police said.

A team headed by assistant commissioner Maheshwari and inspector Mahalakshmi raided a five-star hotel on Radhakrishnan Salai in Mylapore and arrested S. Mathiyalagan (21), A. Pandian (20) both from Salem, M. Mohammed Rafique (22) and S. Murali (41) of Chennai. The officials also rescued the two women and sent them to a rehabilitation centre in the city. The arrested persons were sent to judicial remand.