Bonanza of prostitution through Internet and Cell phones – HIV/Aids epidemic a serious threat
Karan Joshi, Social issues correspondent, Mumbai

India is on the verge of sexual disease epidemic due to huge increase in prostitution in major cities through cell phones and the Internet. The Delhi Police on Friday night arrested two prostitutes in Janpath's Imperial Hotel. The two had struck a deal with a decoy 'customer'. The asking rate: Rs. 70,000 for a night. This was the seventh arrest of prostitutes in the past two weeks, but none of the other rackets came close to the price range quoted on Friday. According to the police, the two women maintained an "exclusive" profile of customers. They operated through their mobile phones and had a select clientele," said a police officer. Educated women from middle class families are getting into this mess because of easy access to the Internet, cell phones and pimps all over the country. While one of the women is 28 years old, the other is just 18. "The younger one passed out of a well-known convent school of the city only last year. The two met at a pub about 10 months ago through common friends and began working together. The older woman has been in the trade for over three years and is well known in the circuit," said the officer. 
Shanta, 23 years old lady from Delhi got married through an Internet based marriage service only to find that she has gotten Aids/HIV through her husband. Her husband has been using call girls through cell phones and the Internet. This is not an isolated story. This is happening in every corner of India. Those who are dating or getting married through the Internet are in special risk, says Arun Thakkar, a private investigator from Mumbai specializing in profile check of individuals to get married. The recent easy access to cell phones and the Internet has made a mess in the city, says Mumbai police chief in charge of Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act.
The problem is so severe that it may wipe out a major part of the population. In Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, New Delhi hundreds of thousands of girls are running after easy money. The police and crime prevention bureaus are overwhelmed. The problem also lies in the fact that the police do not have the expertise to monitor cell phone calls or the Internet. It is impossible to monitor – says Kolkata police chief for implementing Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act. The recent outsourcing (BPO) jobs from US and UK is providing enormous amount of money in the hands of young software engineers. They are spending the money on call girls all over India. One in ten thousand get caught, says Aruna Nair, a social worker in Chennai. 

BJP government has done little to prevent this. This can be more dangerous than nukes in Pakistan, says a local Congress leader in Jabalpur. 

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