Dubai meltdown costs Escort girls Rs 6 lakh

To compensate for the loss and earn a decent amount, they are now focusing on tie-ups with city nightclubs and posh hotels

Dubai meltdown costs Escort girls Rs 6 lakh

To compensate for the loss and earn a decent amount, they are now focusing on tie-ups with city nightclubs and posh hotels

The Dubai meltdown has claimed an unprecedented victim u2014 the Pune escort girls. At the busiest time of the year, escort girls in the city are now stripped of an opportunity to make quick bucks as the Dubai party scene has crashed.

"Earlier at this time, the number of contracts with Dubai agents would go up phenomenally. Indian girls are in great demand there and New Year parties are the time to make quick money. Girls would earn up to Rs 5-6 lakh for a contract of a month. But now, after the Dubai crash, we have heard there are very few enquiries," said Daljeet Singh, LGBT activist, who has been monitoring working among escorts and sex workers in the city.

MiD DAY called a few escort agencies and found that not only are party bookings from Dubai missing, butu00a0 also the clients.

Carry, an agent at Best Escorts, said the Dubai business has dried up. "There have been no enquiries recently, and business is almost over now. New Year used to be a good time for business, but not this year."

Another agent from Bombay Escort Zone said that Dubai clientele is missing. "We used to get Dubai clients who wanted to organise a party in Goa and would hire some girls. But this year no bookings have been made so far."

Tie-ups with clubs
A volunteer with NGO Samabhavna, Nilesh, a former escort agent, said that this year the focus is to tie up with party organisers, clubs and hotels in the city.

"Rather than dispersed work, pick-ups would happen at clubs and hotels. It's a two-way business. Girls get better rates at high profile places and parties and organisers get an edge over the competition. Like this is the better party, as it has better girls," he said.

He also gave MiD DAY names of a famous club at NDA Road, posh hotels at Dhole Patil Road and Sinhagad Road, where activity would be the highest this year.

Making money
An escort girl, Rani (name changed) told MiD DAY that business goes up by at least 50 per cent during the New Year. "Usually the rates vary between Rs 4,000 to Rs 20,000 depending on the agency, age and look of the girls. But during the New Year party season, rate rises from Rs 7,000 to Rs 35,000."