: The Kutch sex racket involving the alleged gang rape of a 23-year-old woman by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders is turning out to be a large-scale flesh trade with more than 35 women reportedly lured into prostitution by local businessmen and politicians.

As per the latest details given by the victim in an affidavit, more than 35 college-going girls and young women were lured by the accused in their flesh trade racket in the district.

The victim has named nine persons in her complaint filed with the police while narrating details of the modus operandi adopted by the accused to lure young women by offering them jobs and their subsequent sexual exploitation.

The sex racket involving four local BJP leaders, who have been suspended by the party after their names figured in the First Information Report (FIR), has put the ruling party in a fix ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled to be held later this year.

On Thursday, rattled by the involvement of its cadres in the flesh trade, the State government and the ruling party appeared on damage control mode with the Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja assuring that “nobody found involved in the act will be spared” while slamming the Opposition parties, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for giving political colour to the case.

The Congress and AAP have alleged that “big names” of the ruling party are involved and demanded a judicial inquiry and court-monitored probe..

The BJP has also dismissed the allegation that as many as 35 girls were provided identity cards as BJP workers to escape the police, as several such cards were circulated on social media platforms in Kutch.