At a time when Srinagar is still troubled by the sex scandal that came to light in 2006, the J&K police today exhumed the body of a young woman who was found dead a day after she blew the whistle on a new prostitution ring in the city.

The body of Aalia, 20, was found on December 11, a day after she joined the Forum Against Social Evils (FASE), a local voluntary organisation, and revealed the existence of a new sex racket in the city with links to the ring run by Sabeena, prime accused in the 2006 scandal.

A woman named by Aalia was arrested after the latter’s body was found. Pervaiz Maqbool, who heads the FASE, said Aalia had told them she had escaped from the clutches of the woman who wanted to push her into the flesh trade in Delhi. He said Aalia told them that the woman, like Sabeena, maintained an exclusive list of clients.

The court ordered exhumation of Aalia’s body and asked the police to file a status report by January 16. “It is a mysterious death, so we are investigating,” said DIG Muhammad Subhan Lone. “Hopefully, the post-mortem will reveal the truth.”