Girls detained, later released

Crystal Harrison, Star Writer

Residents of a normally quiet St Andrew community say they were relieved on Tuesday when a man who has been accused of operating an illegal prostitution business in the area was arrested.

On Tuesday, a 53-year-old businessman was arrested by the police and charged after being accused of soliciting prostitutes for money.

In an operation that was carried out by the the St Andrew Central police and members of the Organised Crime Investigation Division, the man was arrested and charged with the offences of 'Using a Premises as a Brothel' and 'Living off the Proceeds of Prostitution'. It is reported that several females were also taken into custody.

Information reaching THE WEEKEND STAR is that residents from the community became suspicious of the premises after claiming to have noticed what they described as 24-hour 'traffic' on the premises.

THE WEEKEND STAR understands that the residents suspect that the women, though of all different calibre, were mainly college or university students. In addition, the residents say they suspected prostitution activity because of the frequent trips of luxury motor vehicles and the sometimes 'skimpy' attire of some of the women.

"I think they started operating around late November or December last year and they were really organised; but people became suspicious because of the high number of visitors and the kinds of vehicles. There was a minimum of about 40 different women ... ," a resident told THE WEEKEND STAR yesterday.

Another resident reasoned that, "most of the women look like college students. Some of them look good."

The resident further reasoned, "There was 24-hour traffic on that premises, right through the day. They were organised but the residents were really uncomfortable with what was taking place over there."

The resident said that he had heard allegations that there was an on call service where the clients would make arrangements and pick up the girls for a specific time and take them back to the premises.

"When the police raided the place, one would think it was Kartel the police came to arrest, because of the size crowd," one resident said.

Checks made by THE WEEKEND STAR yesterday with the police revealed that the women who were taken into custody on Tuesday were released without being charged.

The police say it is not suspected that the women were forced into prostitution.