Vadodara: Police probing a nude video call centre operating from a flat in Manjalpur have widened their investigation after securing two days’ custodial interrogation of the alleged kingpin, Manish Padhiyar. Investigators are examining financial transactions, call records and the possible involvement of more people, including more women allegedly linked to the operation.“This was an elaborate racket. We are investigating the involvement of other persons in the operation of the nude video call centre. There is a likelihood that more women were involved. Padhiyar’s call records and bank accounts are being examined to get further links,” a police officer said.Police have already frozen Padhiyar’s bank accounts and are questioning him about his transactions.“The accused told us that when he started the racket over a year ago, he roped in two girls who used to work with him in his previous job. He promised them a good income in a short span of time,” the police officer added.Investigators said Padhiyar allegedly contacted two other women through social media and offered them substantial sums to participate in paid nude webcam sessions. The women, aged between 19 and 21, agreed to work as they wanted to earn money, police said.Officials said Padhiyar had bought a flat in an apartment complex near Darbar Chowkdi, from where the adult video chat operation was allegedly run. Neighbours were unaware of the activities inside the premises.The 26-year-old allegedly used the Stripchat platform to attract subscribers who paid for live video interactions with the women. Investigators said users were charged varying amounts, with the highest fees collected for stripping shows.Police said Padhiyar had studied up to Class 10 and worked at a travel agency until about two years ago, where his job involved making calls to prospective customers. After losing that job, he came up with the idea of running the webcamming operation. Investigators are now examining payment flows, subscriber transactions and other digital evidence connected to the case.
