Bhubaneswar: Police on Saturday busted a high-profile sex racket operating from a spa at Bapuji Nagar here.

Acting on a tip-off, officers from Capital police station raided the spa and rescued eight Thai women, who were allegedly involved in the illegal trade. The police also arrested seven persons, allegedly customers at the spa. The mastermind of the racket, however, is yet to be identified.

Sources said the police have started interrogating the Thai women about how they arrived in India and ended up as part of the racket. "We are interrogating the arrested and the Thain women on their roles in the racket," said a police officer.

Last November, the police rescued three Thai national who were allegedly involved in a similar flesh trade in Kharavela Nagar police limits. The racket was operating in the guise of a Thai spa.

Similarly, the cops rescued an Uzbek national for allegedly assaulting uniformed personnel in an inebriated state last July. The girl was suspected to have been involved in another illegal flesh trade here. "We are cracking down on such rackets and taking steps to stop such practices," said the officer.

With Saturday's arrests, the police have busted three such illegal operations in the past fortnight in different parts of the city.