27 November,2014 08:45 AM IST | | Sonali Joshi Pitale and Shiva Devnath
Actress owns the floor in Andheri building on which Charisma Spa, where cops busted a sex racket on November 7 is located; she had leased it out to the spa owner Manik Soni, who is on the run
Priyanka Chopra, Andheri sex racket, flesh trade, three girls rescued, Charisma Spa and Beauty Centre, Vastu Precinct building, Shastri Nagar, Mumbai news, Mumbai, Bollywood actress, Manik Soni, leased property
After the police raided a spa in Versova earlier this month for fronting a flesh trade racket, this paper has learnt that the premises actually belong to actor Priyanka Chopra. Chopra has apparently given out the property on rent.
Priyanka Chopra
A source said, "This property belongs to Priyanka Chopra and her mother's clinic is situated just next to this place. The entire floor (measuring 3,000 sq ft) belongs to Chopra.
The manager of Charisma Spa, in Vastu Precinct building, was arrested after the raid. Pics/Nimesh Dave
In the beginning of this month, the police had raided this place after they got to know that it was being used for sex trade." The manager, Dinesh Chandrakant, was arrested and three adult females were rescued, while the owner Manik Soni is absconding.
Priyanka Chopra owns the second floor of the Vastu Precinct building in Andheri (W), where the Charisma spa is located
On November 7, the Versova police received a tip-off that Charisma Spa and Beauty Centre in Vastu Precinct building in Shastri Nagar was covertly involved in flesh trade. Based on the information a decoy was sent to the premises to verify the information.
Manik Soni, owner of the spa, is absconding. File pic
After the pretend customer confirmed the details, he alerted the cops, following which a team of policemen barged into the spa, arrested Chandrakant and rescued three women.
The women have been sent to a rehabilitation centre. Confirming the report that the actor owns the spa, the investigating officer of the case said, "We are searching for Soni who is still at large. Once he is arrested we would get to know the details of the agreement between him and the actor."
Spa launch
Cops said the actor and her mother Madhu had visited the premises. In fact, Madhu and her son Siddharth had also attended the launch of the spa. Another source said, "Priyanka has many commitments at hand and this property which she had rented out has become another trouble.
She is a bit hassled at the moment regarding this. She was not aware of the fact and trusted the owners. She may take a decision on whether to continue with the lease or not." When contacted, the spa receptionist confirmed that the property belongs to the actor and the spa owners had taken it on a rental basis.
A police source said, "The owner of the spa, Manik Soni, is on the run. He was a regular at many Bollywood parties and knows many television and film personalities. The investigation is on, and once the accused is arrested we will verify the agreement and then take action." Priyanka Chopra was unavailable for comment.
