Flesh Trade of Andhra Actors: 3 hrs 2 times $ 2500

Cell phone text transcripts depict the murky underbelly of flesh trade where Telugu and Kannada actors were traded for prostitution.

Cell phone text transcripts filed by the local police in Illinios against Kishan Modugumudi and Chandrakala Purnima Modugumudi of Andhra Pradesh depict the murky underbelly of flesh trade where Telugu and Kannada actors were traded for prostitution.

This is how one transcript runs:

Individual D: I am not rich. I cant effort (afford) thousands of dollars. Something reasonable.

Chandrakala: what is your budget.

Individual D: same last time rate. I did 2 times with tall girl south indian you came to drop her at comfort inn

Chandrakala: 3 hrs 2 times 2500$

The US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has now filed a huge volume of cell phone text transcripts in an affidavit filed before the Illinois district court against Kishan and Chandrakala. The couple ran a prostitution racket in Chicago involving at least five women actors from the Telugu movie industry.

The 41-page affidavit states that the couple forged letterheads of reputed organisations registered in the US. These included the well-known Telugu Association of South California (TASC) and North America Telugu Society (NATS). These forged letters ensured short-term visas for the actors between May 11, 2017, and January 22, 2018.

The first red flag in the prostitution racket went up when a woman arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport from New Delhi on November 20 and presented a B1/B2 visa, claiming to be an actor. Officials realised that the visa — generally issued for short-term use including business, medical treatment and tourism — had been issued for an event on November 18.

That blew the lid off.

When investigators contacted TASC, they were informed that the event was over and that the actor had not been invited. The actor had also presented a letter from NATS inviting her to a conference to be hosted on November 25 at Renaissance Convention Centre in Schaumburg, Illinois. But NATS office-bearers told agents that they were not organising any conference. Representatives of both the associations told agents that they had never even heard of the actor before.

When questioned, the actor revealed that the letters were sent to her by “Raju’’ and handed over his mobile number and email id. It was then that investigators traced the “forged letters” to Kishan and Chandrakala, the affidavit states, according to The Indian Express.

The affidavit filed in the court states that “The Modugumudis purchased airline tickets and hotel rooms for the victims, harboured the victims either at the Modugumudi residence in Chicago, Illinois, or at hotel rooms across the country and would take the victims to Telugu and other Indian conferences held across the US for purposes of identifying potential customers who would pay the Modugumudis in order for the customers to engage in commercial sex acts with the victims.’’

According to the affidavit, the evidence listed by the HSI includes:

• Travel records and statements from victims that directly or indirectly show that the Modugumudis enabled their travel to the US.
• Statement of a customer acknowledging the purchase of a commercial sex act at a Chicago area hotel with an Indian actor offered by Chandrakala.
• Statements from a victim that Chandrakala brought men to her hotel room for commercial sex acts.
• Text messages from Modugumudis demonstrating multiple conversations between them and customers believed to be advertising and arranging for commercial sex acts.
• Ledgers from the Modugumudi residence that indicate prostitution dates and payments for victims.
• Records tracing two cellphone numbers of the actors to Kishan Modugumudi, and the credit card used to book airline tickets and hotel rooms to Chandrakala.
• Notes alongside visa applications of victims A, B, C, D. They describe victim A as a model, victims B and C as actors visiting the US to attend functions, victim D as an anchor, and victim E as a “Telugu and Kannada major actress”.

On February 16, 2018, officials searched the residence of Modugumudis in Chicago and found 70 condoms in multiple ziplock bags, forged permanent resident cards and social security cards and forged letters from the American Telugu Association to the US Consulate General in Hyderabad requesting visas.