CPM leader, partner booked for running brothel for long years at Kasaragod lodge

Kasaragod: A CPM local committee member and his business partner have been booked for running a brothel out of a lodge in Cheruvathur panchayat, Chandera Police said.

P Assainar of Cheruvathur and his partner, Naseema (47) of Mulleria in Karadka panchayat, have been charged under Section 3 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, for operating a brothel inside Assainar’s Malabar Lodge in Cheruvathur.

The FIR has recorded his name as Muhammed Assainar, but police clarified that the accused was the owner of Malabar Lodge, P Assainar.

Chandera Station House Officer Inspector Prasanth K said his team raided the lodge around 7.30 pm on Monday. Six women from outside the district and state, and three men, were found inside. “We have made the women witnesses in the case,” he said.

According to the officer, Naseema was running the brothel, and Assainar received a share of the illegal earnings. “It has been going on for years,” he said. The raid was ordered by Kanhangad DySP Suresh Babu, who took charge recently as part of the reshuffle ahead of the local body election.

As the offence carries a maximum punishment of two years, the inspector said formal arrest was not required. “We have served her a notice under Section 35(3) of the BNSS to appear before the police,” Inspector Prasanth said.

When contacted, Assainar -- a member of the CPM’s Thuruthi local committee in Cheruvathur -- claimed he was being targeted due to political rivalry. Asked whether the alleged targeting came from rival parties or within the CPM, he declined to speculate. “I am a social activist and a CPM worker. I used to go to the police station often for mediation. This is being done to tarnish my image,” he said.

Assainar said Naseema had been running the lodge since July 1, and he had the agreement to prove it. When asked who was running the lodge before July 1, he said it was Naseema.

Though he claimed he was unaware of what was happening in his lodge, he said similar activities took place in other lodges in the town. “I’m not blaming anyone. But when people come in as couples, we give them rooms. Everything is done after recording their ID proofs,” he said.

He said he would go to the lodge only if Naseema failed to clear the dues, and also to remove the waste once every three days. “I have set up a waste management plant at my house,” he said.

Meanwhile, DySP Suresh Babu said police are examining the accused's mobile phones, along with the lodge register and visitor logs, to identify others involved.

Naseema left her phone at the lodge and was unavailable for comment. The staffer said that although the lodge was not sealed after the raid, they did not accept any bookings or customers on Tuesday.