PANJIM: Newton Muthuri Kimani, a Kenyan national arrested for alleged international prostitution racket
at Siolim, transferred approximately Rs 21 crore outside the country through hawala transactions.
Newton, who arrived in India on a student visa to pursue a degree in Pharmacy in 2018, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the offences of money laundering in December last year, after the police arrested the main accused, Dorcast Maria alias Isralite alias Dorcas Ayako Ouma also from Kenya in September last year, for running the international sex racket at Siolim.
Kimani, who is currently lodged in Central Jail, Colvale on Thursday withdrew his bail application before the Special Court at Mapusa.
A chargesheet filed by the ED, Panjim zonal office against four persons, including three Kenyans and one Tanzanian national in money laundering, has revealed their involvement in money laundering.
Newton’s role in the international sex racket started in 2019 after the main accused Dorcast Maria brought victims from Kenya on the pretext of providing a job in the hospitality sector in Goa and forced them into prostitution activities.
Newton knew Maria before arriving in India and he along with another accused Hellen James Kimaro from Tanzania would transfer money received from prostitution to third
party account in Kenya.
Dorcast Maria too was involved in sex trafficking in Goa and Bangalore before procuring victims from Kenya and forcing them into prostitution. The ED in its chargesheet has stated that Newton had opened four bank accounts while, Hellen opened five bank accounts in Goa, Bengaluru and Punjab in the operated five bank accounts at the directions of Newton Kimani, who managed all her accounts.
Newton too managed proceeds generated from prostitution activities on Dorcast Maria’s behalf where she was using a QR code provided by Newton to receive payment from clients and later as per Marias direction he used to send money to other accounts outside India into an account through hawala.
Newton also used Hellen’s bank accounts to receive payment and was instructing her through Whatsapp to further transfer the money to different accounts by scanning QR codes.