Overview
- Kerala police launched 'Operation Spa' on Monday and inspected 586 of 821 registered centres, registering 14 cases and issuing 44 notices to establishments found violating legal provisions.
- Authorities have arrested spa operators in high-profile Kovalam and Kochi cases and formed a Special Investigation Team that includes cyber experts to trace networks and suspected benami property links.
- Reported crimes include the alleged sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old girl from Andhra Pradesh in Kovalam and an alleged gang-rape in Kochi after victims responded to job offers at spas.
- Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said many spas are opening under the Shops and Establishments Act with weak oversight, leaving licensing, employee verification and customer practices unclear and vulnerable to abuse.
- The government is expanding broader law-and-order drives such as Operation Toofan and stepped-up vehicle checks that led to about 10,000 drunk-driving apprehensions, a move that could pave the way for sustained regulation and stricter enforcement of the spa sector.