IMPD leads massage parlor raids in Indianapolis

Fox 59 News' cameras were present at three locations in Indianapolis as Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detectives led raids on massage parlors throughout Marion County.

Two people were taken into custody at one location on the west side of Indianapolis, and a residence was reportedly searched in Hamilton County.

Officers disconnected the “open” sign hanging in the window of the Amazing Touch in the 5500 block of Lafayette Road, where a black Toyota was towed away.

Near Rockville and Girls School roads, detectives seized massage tables and a computer from a massage parlor festooned with neon signs, while behind shaded windows two persons were led away in handcuffs.


At a third location on US 31 near Shelby Street, the door to a business that advertised “Foot Reflexology” was locked as officers were spotted in a backroom collecting evidence. A neighbor said he found it suspicious that men would leave the storefront after 9 p.m. and hide their faces as they retreated to their cars.

IMPD, City Code Enforcement and the Hamilton County Task Force refused comment on the raids.

Last week, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller hosted a training conference for counselors, prosecutors and law enforcement officers who will be called up to crack down on prostitution and human trafficking in advance of next February’s Super Bowl. Experts said such a huge sporting event leads to increased sex trafficking.

“These young men and women are brought here against their will,” said Zoeller. “They’re people who may well be illegal immigrants who are being brought here under false pretenses. They may think they’re being brought here for a different kind of work but they’re being held hostage.”

“Unfortunately the demand for commercial sex is there,” said Abigail Kuzma, chief counsel  of the Attorney General’s Office. “It’s also very easy to hide the victim which is a huge problem from law enforcement and advocates to try to assess these victims.”

Kuzma said the a Department of Justice study shows the average beginning age of commercial sex workers in the United States is 12-years-old.