Hyderabad: A Telugu businessman-turned-film producer and his wife were arrested in Chicago on charges of running a sex racket by exploiting upcoming actresses.
According to a Hindustan Times report, though 34-year-old Modugumudi Kishan and his 31-year-old wife Chandra were arrested in the last week of April, the case came to light on Wednesday when local media reported that the federal police had filed a 42-page charge sheet in a district court in Chicago.
The couple reportedly ran a high-end prostitution ring by luring actresses from the Telugu film industry, which is popularly known as Tollywood, to the US and advertising them for sex at Indian conferences and cultural events across the country.
The couple allegedly charged clients up to $3,000 per sexual encounter.
Kishan, an NRI businessman who rose to become a top producer in Tollywood and has co-produced several hit films, allegedly threatened one of the actresses and her family if she told law enforcement agencies about what she did in the US.
A Times of India report said during the raids on February 16, 2018, based on a federal search warrant at the couple’s residence in Chicago, law enforcement recovered 70 condoms, divided into multiple ziplock bags, a fraudulent US lawful permanent resident card and security card in the name of Kishan.
Federal agents also discovered ledgers that Kishan’s wife allegedly kept of the sexual acts performed by each girl.
The police discovered text messages from Chandra’s phone in which she was haggling with clients over which girls were available and their prices.
The federal police had filed a case a few months ago and the couple was on the run, before being arrested in late April.
This is not the first time the Telugu film industry has been hit by such scandals.
Last year, Hyderabad Police busted a high-profile prostitution racket and "saved" two actresses after raids at two five-star hotels in upscale Banjara Hills.
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