KATHMANDU: As many as 34 persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in sex trade from the Gongabu area of Kathmandu Metropolis on Saturday night.

During a joint operation held last night in the Deepjyoti and Mitranagar areas of Gongabu by Metropolitan Police Sector, Gongabu, law enforcement officers raided restaurants running as a cover for sex trade, sale of contraband drugs and gambling and arrested 34 persons.

Among the arrested 19 are men while 15 are women, informed police.

The operation is part of a broader plan of making the Naya Bus Park area a controlled sector for human trafficking and sex trade, said Sector Chief Pratap Poudel.

Meanwhile, further investigation is being launched with police planning to file cases against 12 of the arrestees, he added.