Tollywood in prostitution racket: Telugu actresses who were caught in flesh trade

Several actresses from the Telugu film industry have over the years been arrested by the police after they were found involved in the prostitution racket, excluding the two actresses who were rescued recently.

Of late, the Telugu film industry has been making it to the headlines on national media for several good reasons. But unfortunately, its image has been tarnished by issues like drug and prostitution rackets. A lot has been spoken and written about the reasons behind people from Tollywood falling prey to drugs and the flesh trade.

The recent rescue of two actresses has once again raised concerns over the plight of newcomers in the industry. In the past, the lack of the offers in the film industry had forced some to get into prostitution for livelihood. The latest incident has one again put the industry for the shame.

We bring you the details of some actresses who were caught involved in the flesh trade over the years.

1. Aish Ansari, who played small roles in a couple of films, was arrested on November 5, 2013, after she was caught engaging in flesh trade. The Jodhpur Police arrested three other men along with her when they were entering the Hotel Takht Vilas in Raikabagh Road.

2. Yamuna was arrested for her alleged involvement in flesh trade. The Bangalore police had caught her red-handed at a five-star hotel on Vittal Mallya road in Bangalore in January 2011.

3 Bhuvaneswari was arrested for allegedly running a flesh trade racket at her Shastri Nagar apartment in Chennai on October 1, 2009. She was also arrested on similar charges in 2002, but was acquitted.

4 Telugu actresses Saira Bhanu and Jyothi were arrested for their alleged involvement in a prostitution racket on August 23, 2010. The two were reportedly caught red-handed at the Spring Heaven Apartments in Begumpet, Hyderabad.

5 Having played the female lead in a few Telugu films, Kinnera was caught involved in flesh trade and reportedly admitted to playing the role of a sex broker in a sting operation conducted by a Telugu TV News Channel. She revealed some important details about casting couch in Tollywood.

6 Sravani, who acted in Telugu serials like Himabindu and Laya, was caught engaged in prostitution at an apartment in Madhapur on October 3, 2013. The special operation task force arrested her along with a client named Sanjan Kumar Goenka — the co-owner of Jayaraj Steel. The police also seized Rs 2 lakh cash from them.

7 Naalavath Sujata was reportedly running flesh trade racket in Venkatagiri and operating the business online under the pretence of an escort service. She wa caught red-handed with women from Kadapa and a client by the Jubilee Hills police, who also seized Rs 2 lakh and three mobile phones from them.

8 Shweta Prasad Basu, who started her career as a child actress, got into prostitution and she was arrested in Hyderabad for her alleged involvement in a sex racket in 2014. The charges against her were later withdrawn after she denied the accusations.

9 Sherlyn Chopra, who starred in Telugu films like Vendi Mabbu and Something Special, admitted to her involvement in a sex racket in an interview. The Kamasutra actress said she got into the flesh trade for the sake of money.

10 Divya Sri was arrested after she was caught red-handed indulging in prostitution at a house in Guntur. Along with her, some other models and actresses were arrested as part of the racket. But some news outlets mistook her for Tamil actress Sri Divya, whose photos created a lot of buzz in the media.