Credentials of dancers to be checked in Gurugram’s MG Road

The police said more than 500 women work at MG Road clubs as dancers and that they have found in a preliminary probe that at least 50 of them have criminal histories.

After three women, who worked at a club at MG Road, were arrested on July 13 for allegedly duping a Rewari businessman of ₹5 lakh, the police have now started checking the credentials of all the women working as club dancers in the area.

The police said more than 500 women work at MG Road clubs as dancers and that they have found in a preliminary probe that at least 50 of them have criminal histories. “We have collected the women’s records from clubs, hotels and police stations and have identified 50 of them so far who have forged identity cards. Some of them are involved in extorting men for money after making objectionable videos of them. We are verifying their records to get exact details and take action,” assistant commissioner of police (DLF) Karan Goel said. “We have given a clear message to the club owners that if anyone is found forging documents, strict action will be taken against the person and the club owner for allowing them in,” he said.

The police said that in January this year they had made it mandatory for patrons wishing to enter pubs, bars, and clubs in malls on MG Road to give their name, date of birth, cellphone number and address to security guards at the entrance. The police said the entry data of visitors is submitted once a week at the local police station, where officers maintain the data, including the club they visited, either digitally or manually. Goel said even club dancers are supposed to share their credentials before entering their places of work. “The data will be useful if any untoward incident or crime is reported to police,” he said.

This decision was taken by a committee formed by the district administration in December last year to keep the two kilometre-stretch free of the sex trade, peddlers and to maintain law and order on the Mall Mile that’s surrounded by residential colonies. The police said at least nine women have been also been arrested from the area this year for allegedly being involved in the flesh trade.

Goel said that it was revealed during the investigation of the three women arrested recently that they worked in connivance with club owners and were involved in more than a dozen such cases. The police said these women had revealed that they forged their identity cards to avoid being identified, as they were involved in other cases as well.

Goel said that the police had received several complaints from people who had alleged that these women had targeted them in parking lots or while they were smoking outside the mall entrance. “They first invite them for drinks and later ask them to book a room in a hotel and carry drugs to spike their drink and flee with their cash and belongings,” he said.

The police said they are investigating the role of clubs and the hotels where the women take the complainants. “We will take action against hotel owners who are found involved in such cases. The arrested women have named a few hotels and we are conducting raids there,” he said.

However, the managers and owners of the nightclubs refuted the allegations and said that they were baseless. “We have not hired any club dancers, the women who visit the clubs are free to go anywhere. Neither do we pay them, nor are we involved in any illegal activities with them,” said one of the club owners, requesting anonymity.

The police commissioner has given directions to policemen dressed in civil outfits to keep a tab on the activities taking place in these night clubs. The police said if the owners of any of these clubs are found involved in illegal activities, their clubs’ no-objection certificates will be cancelled.

MG Road residents had reiterated their demand to the police to strengthen night vigil on the Mall Mile to curb the alleged trafficking and solicitation, following which the police had started monitoring the clubs’ operations.