Indian authorities are currently investigating an incident involving four Kenyan women who obtained tourist visas but were ultimately found in shelters in Chennai, where they were coerced into engaging in prostitution.

On Tuesday, May 30, 2023, the Mylapore police in India arrested two individuals, namely M. Kannan, a 31-year-old from Salem, and P. Saravanaraj, a 43-year-old from Alandur. These arrests took place after the four women were rescued from their forced sex slavery situation.

Following the charges filed against them, the suspects were taken to court and subsequently sent to jail for operating a commercial sex operation within a shelter in the city.

According to the police, they received information from the public regarding a lodge where numerous women were being held. Upon inspection of the lodge, the police discovered women in several of the rooms. Consequently, they apprehended M. Kannan, the manager of the lodge from Salem district, and P. Saravanaraj, the owner from Alandur.

The two suspects were presented before a judicial magistrate before being incarcerated. 

The police discovered the stranded Kenyan women in Chennai and inquired about their situation. They learned that the women had been evicted from a lodge on C.V. Raman Road in Chennai, where they were taken upon their arrival from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Kenya.

The officers immediately went to the lodge to gather more information. However, when they questioned the two individuals involved, they initially denied any involvement or knowledge of the situation.

However, further investigation contradicted their claims when it was revealed that the women had been residing in the lodge for a month and were being forced into prostitution.

According to international media reports, the police discovered that the four women were brought to Chennai from Kenya and were being exploited in prostitution networks. They had entered India on tourist visas, and one of the women's visas had expired.

Currently, the police are conducting a crackdown operation in an attempt to apprehend additional suspects in lodges and motels throughout India.