KOCHI: In the wake of recent raids on massage parlours, City Express rang up a random telephone number posted with one of the so-called relaxation massage parlour advertisements in newspapers.When a guy picked up the phone, I introduced myself as a Bangalore-based techie and said I was looking for a ‘special massage.’ First he asked some questions to check the genuineness of the ‘customer.’ Then began the customer-friendly dialogues.“You want a boy or a girl?”“A girl.”“Rs 3,000 is the rate, Sir,” he promptly replied. There onwards the bargaining began. Here are excerpts from the conversation.“This includes the room rent. The place is safe, no need to worry,” he added hastily. “Tell me, what are the special services you offer,” I demanded.“You will get whatever service you want and I ensure you maximum sexual pleasure,” promptly came the reply.“What is her age?”“23, sir. Good-looking and fully co-operative,” he assured.Then he asked me about my location to which I said Ravipuram. He redirected me to Kadavanthra and instructed to call him once I reach there.At 1 pm, I reached Kadavanthra and rang him up. Surprisingly this time, it was a woman who answered! She asked me to wait at the spot as somebody would be coming to pick me up. I waited for another 15 minutes.I got another call. This time from a different number. It was a man this time. He asked me for my location. I said the colour of my dress. A couple of minutes passed by. A youngster, wearing a blue shirt came up and introduced himself as Firoz.I asked him whether I can take one of my friends along with me; first he looked a bit confused; later began interrogating me. Once he was convinced of my purpose, Firoz said he would have to talk to the person with whom I first spoke. After a while, he asked me to speak. Once again I tried the number. This time the guy who talked to me first answered the call. “Sir, you should clearly mention how many of you are coming. If it is two persons, then you will have to pay Rs 6,000.”I agreed and told him that I will come to the place in my car. He agreed and told me to give him a call when I reach Vyttila. From there he would send a person to pick both of us. “However, today it is too late, so I will come tomorrow,” finally I concluded the conversation.I tried another number. This time a different advertisement, a different location. The response was the same. None of them mentioned the word ‘massage’ even once.Apparently many of the massage parlours in the city are turning into such prostitution hubs. Is the word ‘massage’ becoming a synonym for commercial sex in Kochi?
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