Uttar Pradesh MLA Mahendra Kumar Singh was arrested on Monday night with six others while enjoying the company of Bar girls in a Goa hotel.
The four-time MLA from Sitapur and his friends were busted by police when neighbours complained of loud music, an evidence of a wild night gone wrong.
According to reports, the girls found at the scene were reportedly brought in from Delhi, Punjab, Mumbai, UP and Chattisgarh to perform at the party. The finding led the police to conclude that it was a case of trafficking and those arrested including Singh were booked under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act, reported Times of India.
According to the police, the girls were not a part of one group and failed to recognise each other, hinting human trafficking in all probability.
The Samajwadi Party leader's identity was confirmed only when police began interrogating the arrested and was confirmed with the UP government.
The 55-year-old Assembly speaker called the arrest as "framing" and told IANS, "Dance programmes take place everywhere in Goa and police do not arrest anyone. I arrived in Goa on August 24 and yesterday I had gone to Panaji to visit a casino. There I received a call from my friend, inviting me for a birthday party which I went to attend."
When questioned of Singh's arrest, SP spokesperson and senior minister Rajendra Chaudhary merely said, "Whatever we have come to know about the MLA is through the media. The party is in the process of collecting relevant details."
However, a PTI report stated that the minister and other six men were arrested under Anti-Prostitution Act.
Presently, all of the accused are under judicial remand and the girls have been sent to shelter homes.
