A shocking modeling scam that lured young women from Kerala to Dubai has taken a new turn with leaked WhatsApp chats allegedly showing the main accused bargaining over the price of trafficked women.

The main accused, Sindhu, a 56-year-old woman who ran a business under the name Sindhu Stories, was arrested in Mumbai and brought to Kochi, where a court remanded her for 14 days. The remand report reveals disturbing details about how the trafficking ring operated.

Sindhu allegedly targeted young women by promising them jobs as makeup artists in an event management company registered under her daughter’s name. She charged each victim around ₹4.70 lakh, claiming it was for travel and visa arrangements. Once the women arrived in Dubai, they were taken to an apartment in Bur Dubai’s Roller Street area, where they were held against their will.

According to the remand report, the victims were drugged by mixing white powder into cola. After losing consciousness, they were sold to men for sexual exploitation. The accused also filmed the abuse and sent the videos and photos to the victims’ families as a means of extortion and control.

The leaked chats show Sindhu communicating with customers, sharing photos of the women and negotiating prices. In one exchange, when a customer asked about the price for two women, Sindhu replied with ₹6,000 for one and ₹3,000 for the other.

Other accused in the case include Manjima (third accused) and Aleena Abraham (fourth accused), who were earlier released on judicial custody. The second and fifth accused, who are based in Dubai, are yet to be brought to Kerala. Police investigations have also revealed that Sindhu had financial transactions with Aurangzeb, a man with multiple criminal cases who is a friend of the fourth accused.

The remand report also states that another young woman has come forward with a complaint that the same gang trapped and forced her into sexual exploitation. The second accused allegedly beat the complainant with a cane, while the fifth accused subjected her to mental and physical harassment and threatened to kill her if she filed a complaint.

Observer Rajendran Pandal has commented that Kochi has become a hub for such crimes, warning that the fashion and modeling industry is being used as a cover for human trafficking networks operating between Kerala and Dubai.