Prostitution and other such sexual crimes are treated with an iron fist in countries like the US, especially if the police suspect that offenders have been using certain loopholes. Twenty-three men have been arrested in Dallas when police discovered that they were part of an online sex racket.

The 23 men, one of whom is a Telugu NRI named Ram Yarlagadda, were in touch with their clients and women through two websites. They didn't have a permanent set-up where the prostitution racket was being run. They used short-term rentals and moved from one place to another to evade police oversight.

Their game was over when a neighbour in Dallas informed the police that he suspected a sex racket in the neighbourhood. The arrest of 23 men in one go proves that the racket was of a high-scale one.

With the incident, the US police are alert that they should monitor the misuse of short-term rentals more and more.