Delhi police have arrested a Hindu holy man and two air hostesses in connection with an alleged prostitution racket being run in the city. Shiv Myra Dwivedi is accused of running the prostitution ring out of his temple in the south of Delhi. They claim he had access to as many as 200 prostitutes including students and air hostesses. The two air hostesses arrested allegedly worked for Indian airline Jagson and for British Airways. Four other women thought to be involved in prostitution as well as a man suspected of being a pimp were also taken into custody.

Shiv Myra Dwivedi is a self-styled Hindu swami who claims that prominent politicians are amongst his 100,000 dedicated followers. However a police statement claims that this is a façade and that he is a supplier of prostitutes to those who inhabit the richer parts of Delhi. Some claim that Mr. Dwivedi has managed to amass a $10 million fortune from the racket whereas others say it could be up to ten times this amount.

The six alleged prostitutes have all given the police fake names and so far the authorities have not released information on their nationalities. The police arrested the group as a deal was being made between alleged pimps and some young men in an up market part of Delhi. An investigation of Mr. Dwivedi’s temple revealed a system of secret tunnels which led to a number of hidden rooms. Police also seized diaries which apparently contain details about the swami’s involvement in prostitution. British Airways say they will be looking into the report that one of their employees may have been involved.