Escorting or companionship services (where the service involves social company, travel companionship, event attendance, etc.) can be legal as long as there is no exchange of money for sexual acts.

❌ What is Illegal

Prostitution (exchange of sexual services for money) itself is not illegal, but many activities surrounding it are, under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA), 1956.
Specifically, it is illegal to:

Run or manage a brothel.

Solicit clients in public places.

Live off the earnings of someone else’s sex work.

Engage in sex work within 200 meters of a public place (schools, temples, hospitals, etc.).

⚖️ The Legal Gray Area

Many “lokhandwala escort services” operate in a gray zone, advertising companionship but sometimes implying sexual services.

Law enforcement typically acts only if there’s evidence of commercial sex, human trafficking, or coercion.