78-year-old disabled woman works as a phone operator in a sex firm

Police officers of Russia's Chelyabinsk region arrested a 41-year-old businessman, who owned a chain of sex firms in the city. The man has been charged with organizing and maintaining brothels.

Law-enforcement officers started watching the businessman at the end of 2004, when the police found a rather suspicious apartment in the city. An inspection showed that the apartment was used as a place for rendering sexual services. It also became known that the brothel in the found apartment was not the only one: the man organized a network of firms to render sexual favors. Needless to say that it was a very profitable business: the firms had a variety of communication means at their disposal, as well as cars and operators, not to mention prostitutes themselves.

The firm was selling services both in its own premises and at clients' homes too. Lieutenant Colonel Tatiana Katayeva said that there was quite an amusing occurrence revealed during investigation. One of the sex firm operators, who was introducing herself as Alyonushka on the phone, turned out to be a 78-year-old disabled woman.

The network of sex firms existed for 3.5 years. The arrested owner of the business has a previous criminal record. He had to pay a fine in February of 2003 - the law did not stipulate any tougher sanctions for the organization of brothels. Current charges, however, may result in five years of imprisonment for the businessman.