Even though the recent spate of raids in the Negombo area, which targeted brothels that were operating under the guise of spas, was a mission limited to that area, if proper information is received, the Police will take action against other such places as well.

Adding that operating a spa is not a crime and that merely running a spa therefore does not warrant a raid, the Police Media Spokesperson, Deputy Inspector General of Police and attorney Nihal Thalduwa stressed that if there are adequate reasons to conduct a raid, the Police will conduct such.

He told The Daily Morning that during the said mission, 53 spas in the Negombo area were raided. He explained that that mission was launched based on information received by the area’s Senior Police Superintendent that brothels were operating under the guise of spas. According to him, in a context where medical checks performed on some of the arrestees proved that they had contracted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), more raids were carried out.

Last week, the Police conducted a number of raids in the Negombo area targeting brothels that were operating as Ayurvedic spas. While some of them were registered spas, some were being operated illegally without registration. With reports that several women who were arrested during these raids and were subjected to medical checks had tested positive for HIV, various parties expressed concerns about spas that are mushrooming throughout the country.