Howrah sex racket kingpin Shweta Khan's son Ariyan, aide held; Fultusi still on the run
Ariyan Khan and his aide were arrested in Kolkata for allegedly running a sex and pornography racket disguised as an event management firm, Ishara Productions. The arrest followed the escape of a victim who reported confinement and torture.
NEW DELHI: West Bengal police on Wednesday arrested Ariyan Khan, 26, and his aide from Golf Green in south Kolkata for allegedly running a sex and pornography racket under the cover of an event management firm.
His mother and key accused, Shweta Khan alias Fultusi, remains absconding.
The arrests come days after a 22-year-old woman from Sodepur, who had been confined and tortured for three months, escaped their clutches and alerted police. She is currently being treated for severe injuries in hospital.
Racket operated under 'Ishara Productions'
Investigators said Ariyan and Fultusi co-owned Ishara Productions, which operated out of a rented apartment in Bankra, Howrah.
Behind the façade of event management, they allegedly coerced women into pornography and sex work, subjecting those who refused to brutal torture.
The case has taken a darker turn with revelations that Fultusi had attempted to force her own teenage daughter, Ishika, into the racket. Ishika, then 18, died by suicide in 2021 after resisting her mother's pressure.
Following her death, locals alleged that Fultusi attempted to extort Rs 2 crore from a businessman by threatening to file a false case.
The case was later found to be fabricated.
Fultusi was known to flaunt her alleged political links, including pictures with leaders of the
Trinamool Congress
's minority cell, and reportedly campaigned during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Denying knowledge of her, state minister Arup Ray said, 'I know nothing about this woman. The party cannot help if someone misuses political connections. If anyone backed her from the party, they will be punished.'
With Ariyan Khan now in custody, police say the hunt for Fultusi has intensified.
Earlier, their flat was found locked, and both their phones switched off. Officials are not ruling out the possibility that she may have fled the country, possibly to Bangkok.
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