After former chief secretary, hotel owner nabbed in Port Blair sex racket case
Delhi Police have arrested hotel owner Sandeep Singh alias Rinku in connection with the alleged “sex-for-jobs” racket in Port Blair. Former Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jitendra Narain, was arrested in connection with the case last week.
Delhi Police said they arrested Rinku when he was trying to escape from Karnal in Haryana to Odisha’s Bhubaneshwar on Sunday. They added that after fleeing Port Blair, Rinku had been hiding in Delhi, Kolkata, and Dhariwal. He was taken into police custody in Port Blair on Monday.
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Officials said call records and cash withdrawals led them to the hotelier. Police earlier announced a cash award for Rinku and former Labour Commissioner RL Rishi, who is still on the run.
Job-for-sex racket
The racket came to light when a 21-year-old woman lodged a complaint on October 1. She alleged that she was lured to the CS’s home with the promise of a government job and raped there on April 14 and May 1, 2022.
Subsequently, Andaman and Nicobar Police and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) found evidence of the racket when Narain was posted as the CS of the Union territory. The SIT questioned Narain thrice before his arrest on November 10.
Over 20 women were allegedly taken to Narain’s residence in Port Blair between 2021 and 2022. Some of them allegedly got jobs after being raped.
Audio clip key evidence
According to a report by The Indian Express, the woman handed over an audio clip to the CIT as key evidence. She recorded a two-minute conference call with Rinku before she was called to the official residence of the then CS.
Rinku then allegedly introduced her to then Labour Commissioner RL Rishi, who allegedly took her to Narain’s residence. In the call, Rinku can be heard telling her to never name Narain and to keep her visits a secret, according to the report.
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The woman told The Indian Express that she had met Rinku outside Desi Lounge, his hotel in Port Blair. She had taken tourists there for dinner when she was working as their guide. According to the woman, Rinku promised to arrange a “permanent” job for her very soon.
On November 10, the Sessions Court in Port Blair rejected Narain’s bail plea. The former CS has denied the allegations, though. He has reportedly written to the Home Ministry and the Andaman and Nicobar administration, claiming a conspiracy against him.
(With agency inputs)
