After arrest of accused in rape case, police scan lodges, hotels at popular hangouts for couples

With the Madh Island recently being raided by the cops, it seems some of the popular spots frequented by youngsters in the city might be under the police scanner. The raid also seems to have raised the spectre of moral policing once again in the city. For, while no minors were found in these raids, a few couples, all majors, were taken out of hotel rooms and interrogated.

The Madh Island was raided by the Malwani and Malad police early this week following the arrest of 24-year-old Pritish Doshi in two cases of rape and unnatural sex, both of which took place in the Island, last month. The police had decided to enforce the previously-set guidelines for the lodges and hotels in the area to prevent a repeat of such cases. The Gorai police, under whose jurisdiction popular spots like Gorai and Manori come, are also expected to follow suit.

As per the police sources, in the Wednesday's raid at the five different establishments, 38 couples were detained and "thoroughly interrogated". Apart from this, two women who were roaming on the streets in a suspicious manner were charged with indecent behaviour. A senior police official said: "All the couples were major, but they were interrogated as we found certain discrepancies in the hotels' registers. Though they were let off after interrogation, we discouraged them from such activities like hiring rooms in these hotels.”

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