By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Uttarakhand police on Thursday claimed to have busted a prostitution racket at Kosi Café Homestay in Ramnagar area of Nainital district and arrested its manager Bhaskar Joshi and owner Mohd Adnan.
Two minors, who were missing, were also recovered from the homestay which had become notorious for such suspicious activities. Acting on a tip-off, both minors were recovered from rooms within the Kosi Cafe Homestay hotel, SSP Nainital Manjunath T C said.
Additional charges under Sections 137(2), 64(1), and 65(1) of the BNS, as well as Sections 3/4 of the POCSO Act, were added against the accused involved in the case. The accused were subsequently produced before a Nainital Court, and taken into police remand for further questioning, he said.
The investigation revealed that the hotel manager had neither recorded the entry of the concerned individuals in the visitor register nor collected their identification documents. Some objectionable material was also recovered from the rooms during the police raid.
Based on the statements of the victims, witnesses, and local residents recorded during the investigation, it came to light that the Homestay Manager, Bhaskar Joshi had failed to record the arrival of the minors or collect their mandatory identification documents. This clearly established that the said homestay was being utilized for illegal activities and serious crimes, the SSP said.
In view of the gravity of the case, and to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future, a recommendation has been forwarded to the concerned authority to seal the homestay and cancel its license, the SSP said.