Rajesh Patel is a resident of Burlington.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: An Indian American man, Rajesh Patel, 46, was arrested in a prostitution sting operation conducted by the local police in Burlington, Massachusetts, on Friday.
Patel, a resident of Burlington, was among a total of eight people, including a woman arrested in the undercover police operation, reported local NBC affiliate NECN.
Police set up a fake advertisement on backpage.com targeting customers looking to pay for sex. When seven men arrived at a hotel thinking they were meeting with a prostitute, each was placed under arrest after cash exchanged hands.
The men charged in the sting include, apart from Patel, 51-year-old Ronald Amoling of Gardner, 33-year-old Mohsen Behnam of Worcester, 44-year-old Nicholas Bittner of Woburn, 28-year-old Brendan McElhiney of Lunenberg, 23-year-old Daniel Morneault of Tewksbury, and 51-year-old Thomas Shea of Uxbridge, the report said.
During the operation, police say they found a woman advertising sex for money at a different hotel in Burlington and arrested 56-year-old Dimitria Chakalis-Haley of Stoneham.
Burlington Police noted that they set up the sting to drive prostitution away from the town.
“Burlington is a family-friendly town,” said Burlington Lt. Thomas Browne, to NECN. “Our job is to keep it that way.”
The sweep was considered a “reverse sting” because police went after the customers.
Police say prostitution can be rampant at the hotels along the Route 128 corridor.
“We’re perfectly located for this type of behavior because of the highways,” said Lt. Browne.
All of the suspects are scheduled to be arraigned today in Woburn.