Moment vigilantes stormed Peruvian nightclub and whipped prostitutes in crack down on sex trade

The masked men lashed the women with sticks and whips

Vigilantes say they want to 'eradicate' prostitution in Cajamarca

The next day they attacked another club and torched equipment



Vigilantes stormed a nightclub in western Peru, whipped prostitutes into the street and forced male employess to do press-ups in a farcical attempt to combat the region's sex industry.

A video of the disturbance, taken in Cajamarca nightclub Alondra ('Skylark'), shows the masked self-appointed moral guardians chase dozens of scantily-clad women from the club, whipping and shoving them.

It was shot by the Decentralised Committee of Urban Rounds of Cajamarca, a local vigilante group, and distributed to local media.

Attack: A vigilante whips a woman in an 'anti-prostitution' raid on a Peruvian nightclub

Strange punishment: The gang of vigilantes force the male employees to do press-ups, hitting them as they do

Some 50 women, many of them crying, were seen fleeing the building as the vigilantes lashed them with whips. They were then forced, barefoot and half-naked, to stand against the wall in a line and berated by their attackers.

The video also showed the group members fighting with men who emerged from the club and forcing club employees to do push ups. According to local media, the group said that it conducts these kinds of operations to eradicate prostitution and crime.

El Comercio reported that the group stormed the nightclub after receiving a tip-off that several thieves were hiding there.

The scantily-clad women, some of them desperately trying to cover themselves, flee their attackers

The group's spokesman, Fernando Chuquilín, justified their actions as an effort to eradicate prostitution and crime.

Prostitution is legal for women over 18 years of age in Peru if they register with municipal authorities and carry a health certificate.

Brothels must be licensed, but the vast majority of prostitutes work outside of official regulation. Many police officers tolerate the operation of unlicensed brothels.

Many of the women were weeping at the savage treatment they received from the masked men

Fear: One of the women in the club stumbles as she is forced out into the street

Another video posted by the group yesterday shows them hitting the 'Ula Ula' nightclub in the Santa Elena neighborhood.



They again beat the workers and forced the men to exercise but also torched chairs, sound equipment and lights in the street.

The vigilantes, it was reported, had to frantically beat out the flames to prevent them from reaching power lines.

The footage was taken by the Decentralised Committee of Urban Rounds of Cajamarca, a local vigilante group, and distributed to local media





