05 August,2010 08:48 AM IST | | Amit Singh
The CWG emblem is gone, but the websites are back in business after a short hiatus
They're back. Two escort agency websites that were using the Commonwealth Games logo to attract business are back in action. The sites had been banned after MiD DAY had brought to light this sensitive issue.
Games people play: The original home page of an escort agency
website, sporting the Games logo.u00a0file pic
After being off the web for almost two months, the owner of these agencies perhaps feel that further delays will only land them in heavy losses. However this time the proprietors have adopted a more cautious approach. The CWG logo - Shera - that prominently featured on them has now been taken off.
Not revealing much about the reasons for removing the logo from the sites, the owners of https://www.cwgdelhiescorts.com/ said: "We have removed the logos just because of some technical problems. Once the problem is resolved, we will again restore it."
"We need to promote our website and increase the hits. Now that only 60 days are left, we took this decision. We hope to a get a good response," he added. However when questioned about the reasons for taking the website off the Internet, the owner refused to comment.
In May, MiD DAY reported how a number of escort agencies were advertising their services on the Internet by abusing the official mascot and logo of the Games. In order to look genuine, the websites had posted general information regarding the Games and the national capital where it would be held, including Games venues and itinerary, weather conditions, transport etc.
However after the MiD DAY report, the websites were blocked just after two days and the mobile phone numbers featured on them were also switched off.
Vivek Vohra, a Delhi-based cyber crime expert, said, "These are very common trends for sites operating illegally. Whenever there is a complaint against any such websites, either they block it or get it registered under a different name. But in this case they couldn't do so as the websites had the CWG word on them. Whosoever searches for it can easily access these sites."
"The websites are one-point contact for those looking for a call girl. The ISP of the sites may have been barred but such measures are only temporary. It hardly takes Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 to start a new website and get hosted by a proxy server," Vohra added.
Another escort agency that has posted the official Commonwealth Games mascot on its website - https://www.cwgescorts.com/ - claimed that they were hoping to make some good money during the Games. "Though the website was blocked for two months, we will manage to earn some quick bucks in the days ahead."
| It's official! |
| MiD DAY carried a story stating the shortfall in number of call girls during the Games. Escort agencies from Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Bangalore, hotbeds for A-list prostitutes, are already at the drawing board, listing out the probables, who would be sent to service the over one lakh visitors of the 2010 Commonwealth games. While precise numbers cannot be ascertained, the shortfall in the number of women available in New Delhi is approximately 50 per cent, of which 25 per cent will be met by the cities named above. Escort agencies are not only training their girls and pimps to deal with international clients but are also leaving no stone unturned to look professional and 'official'. |
