Mumbai, May 31: Poverty led the unemployed men to put themself on sale. Residents left red-faced after posters advertising ‘male companionship’ spring up by the dozen on upmarket Carter Road and Nargis Dutt Road.
Residential buildings and bungalows on upmarket Carter Road and Nargis Dutt Road in Bandra, including those of some Bollywood stars, have a never-seen-before kind of poster adorning their walls. These posters — simple printouts on white paper — advertise ‘companions for lonely middle-aged women’, or, put simply, gigolos, for Rs 5,000 per hour.
Not surprisingly, residents haven’t taken a very kindly view of the new d©cor. Roshan Dabhoiwala, trustee of Bandra (West) Residents Association and member of the Carter Road ALM, said these pamphlets have become an embarrassment. “They are stuck in the middle of the night and cannot be stopped. We remove the leaflets whenever we see them, but the number just keeps on increasing. They have reached alarming levels now,” said Dabhoiwala.
Nowhere close
While an hour with a gigolo can cost nearly Rs 5,000 per hour, there have been numerous reports of high-end call girls in the city charging as much as Rs 80,000 per hour. Advertisements of escort services, friendship clubs and massage parlours are common in newspapers and a previous MiD DAY investigation had revealed that most of these provide prostitutes at home and even five-star hotels.
The investigation revealed that girls from exotic countries and self-proclaimed Bollywood starlets were in high demand.
Bungalows of Bollywood actors haven’t been spared either. The pamphlets were noticed on bungalows of yesteryear’s superstars Dilip Kumar and Rishi Kapoor. “The actors have removed the leaflets from their bungalow gates, but they still remain stuck on the neighbouring walls and electric poles,” said a resident.
What we found
When a female reporter from MiD DAY called up one of the numbers advertised on the pamphlets under the banner Friendship Club, a nonchalant voice at the other end told her she could have a boy at her door within two hours.
“Madam, we will leave the boy at your door. It will only cost Rs 5,000 per hour,” said the person, who refused to disclose his name. He added that he has a long list of expensive women prostitutes active in Bandra and would be happy to ‘supply’ them too.
Crackdown
The Khar police began investigation into the matter on Saturday and, while admitting that there are signs of a thriving sex syndicate, say they will apprehend the people behind the pamphlets in no time.
“We are tracing all the phone numbers. The culprits will be booked soon,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (west region), Amitabh Gupta.
Quick money
MiD DAY found that college girls, often from affluent families, succumb to the lure of quick money and contact these escort services to serve as call girls.
“We have to pay the company a cut, but you can make good money in a few hours. We get wealthy customers and most of them are well-behaved,” said one such girl in her twenties, who is graduating from a reputed south Mumbai college and goes by the name Sheena.
Courtesy: Mid-Day