Bhubaneswar: Police are keeping a strict watch on guest houses across the city following the unearthing of a sex racket being carried out at one in Nayapalli on Wednesday.

Police stations concerned have asked to direct the guest-house owners to furnish incumbency charts of guests.

Last year, the police had sealed seven establishments, including hotels and beauty parlours in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, for a period of one year for running sex rackets.

However, the action does not appear to have much of an impact on the pimps who continue to carry out similar activities from rented accommodations and guest houses.

The police had earlier asked the owners of hotels, lodges and guesthouses to register those establishments under Sarai's Act, 1867.

According to the act, the owners need to submit a copy of the trade licence to the district administration as a proof of their work.

The registration documents also includes a no-objection certificate from the fire and emergency services department.

However, several such guesthouses are operating in the city especially in Chandrasekharpur and Patia areas where house owners have converted their houses into guesthouses.

Unregistered guesthouses have become safe heaven for anti-socials and criminals and pimps as rooms are available at low price and the visitors need not to go through any identity check.

The police said they had come across several incidents where both the call girl and the customer had checked in a hotels and guest houses by providing photocopies of their identity cards making it difficult for them to initiate action.

In 2017, the cops had registered 11 cases under Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act in Bhubaneswar and arrested 31 persons in 2017.

Deputy commissioner of police Anup Kumar Sahoo said the police stations concerned had been asked to prepare a database of guesthouses operating in their respective jurisdiction.

"The police stations have also been asked to conduct surprise raids to ensure that the guest houses allot rooms with proper identity proof," said Sahoo.