MANKATO, Minnesota — from www.makatofreepress.com – If you’re hoping to hook up with a harlot, it’s probably not a good idea to call police when the rendezvous turns into a heist.

Faisal Alshihry, 26, of Mankato found himself on the wrong side of the law after he called 911 from Mankato’s Super 8 hotel at about 2:15 a.m. Wednesday. He told police he had agreed to pay a woman $200 for sex, but the woman took his cash without honoring her end of the deal.

“He wanted to report he had been robbed,” said Cmdr. Sandi Schnorenberg of the Mankato Department of Public Safety.

Alshihry told officers the woman had just left the hotel, driving north in a white Hummer. The vehicle was stopped in St. Peter and Natalie Gunaseelan, 28, of St. Paul was brought back to Mankato.

Both Alshihry and Gunaseelan were arrested and taken to the Blue Earth County Jail.

The Mankato Police Department has done stings in the past where prostitutes were contacted through Craigslist and other Internet websites. Those women were arrested after meeting with detectives in local hotel rooms. Most of the arrests involved women from outside the Mankato area. Detectives said in 2008 that they initiated the stings because would-be “johns” reported they were being ripped off.

Initial reports about Wednesday’s incident didn’t say how Alshihry and Gunaseelan allegedly arranged the meeting.

“We’ve always suspected there was still a little prostitution going on, but unless someone loses their cash without getting sex, we don’t hear about it,” Schnorenberg said.

Misdemeanor charges have been requested for both Alshihry and Gunaseelan. The exchange of money will likely be a civil matter, Schnorenberg said.

Alshihry is facing charges of soliciting prostitution and disorderly conduct. Charges of prostitution and disorderly conduct also were requested for Gunaseelan. A third citation for doing business in Mankato without a peddler’s permit might not stick, Schnorenberg said.

“Somebody had a sense of humor when they filled out the report,” she said.