Ritu Pandit who works in a guest house in Gangabou was caught by police while returning home from work. Pandit, 29, was also asked to pay Rs 25,000 by policemen to be released on bail.

Women like Pandit, who work in the entertainment sector, say they are harassed by everyone who knows their field of work but complain that the torture becomes unbearable when police, whose job it is to protect the people, abuse them.

“Once they know where we work, we become easy targets for them and they keep harassing us no matter where they find us,” complained the mother of two.

Women also complained that policemen used foul language on them and oftentimes forcefully took their pictures and later ask for ransom.

Government data shows there are 50,000 women working in the entertainment sector. According to Menuka Thapa, president of Raksha Nepal, an organisation working for the rights of women employed in the entertainment sector, a majority of women in this field are single mothers with little prospect of finding a good job due to the lack of educational qualification.

“If the government or any other organisation would offer to pay for my children’s schooling, I would gladly quit this job any day,” said Bhagwati Sapkota, who works as at a spa in Thamel. Meanwhile, around 30 women working with the entertainment sector pleaded to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Surbendra Khanal to help them find a solution to end abuse from police and also urged him to assist them in finding new sources of livelihood.

SSP Khanal’s reply to these women was to refrain from doing anything that is against the law and shed fear of abuse from the policemen and the society. “We have taken zero tolerance approach against corruption within the police force and also violence against women for that we need you to come out and register complaints immediately after such incidents,” Khanal said.