PANJIM: The sudden transfer of a Head Constable from the Anjuna Police Station to the Goa Reserve Police (GRP) Altinho-Panjim has raised eyebrows of his alleged involvement in ‘protection money’ following the busting of the international sex trafficking racket on Friday.
However, the police officials claimed that the head constable was earlier transferred to the Colvale Police Station but was not relieved even as there are reports that he had refused to budge from his ‘comfortable posting’ in Anjuna. The officials further stated that his transfer had nothing to do with the alleged international flesh trade wherein the police arrested two Kenyan women and rescued five girls who were forced into prostitution.
When questioned as to how a cop who was transferred to the Colvale Police Station, was on Saturday unceremoniously shunted out and posted at Goa Reserve Police (GRP) Altinho-Panjim, the officials were tongue-tied and declined to comment on the matter.
Sources revealed that the red-faced department is now contemplating action against the beat constable and a PSI towards whom the needle of suspicion points at, and more skeletons could tumble out of the sex racket closet.
Much would depend on the interrogation of the two Kenyans to spill the beans.
The said hawaldar was posted at the Anjuna Police Station in 2013 and managed to keep on hold two transfer orders first at Agasaim Police Station and the other at the Colvale Police Station and during his decade-long tenure at Anjuna, he used to throw his weight around as he enjoyed the patronage from both – politicians and higher-ups.
A senior cop speaking on the condition of anonymity said that the department should stop targeting small fries and instead focus on the big fish that swallow the ill-gotten gains by the subordinates.
One just cannot sit for over a decade at one police station in the coastal belt with authorities feigning ignorance about the issue. If the department is serious about bringing the case to its logical conclusion, then it should dig right at the bottom/roots of corruption to unearth the truth, said the cop.
The alleged police and flesh trade traffickers’ nexus comes to light after the police busted the international sex racket at Anjuna on Friday and hush hurriedly transferred a Head Constable to the GRP. It is now reliably learnt that police allegedly used to collect protection money from the flesh trade traffickers. It may be recalled that O Heraldo had done an investigative report on how Goa has become a transit route for sex tourism and the police turning a Nelson’s eye to the flesh trade that was being operated by Kenyan women who didn’t even have valid passports and visas to live in India.
Meanwhile, the Anjuna Police produced both the accused Maria Dorcas alias Israelite and Wilkista Achista, before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Mapusa who remanded them in five days police custody.
The police are on the lookout for the third accused, a Nigerian, who is still at large.
Police also told O Heraldo that Maria had produced fake documents at the guesthouse where she was staying. However what is surprising is that the authorities including the FRRO failed to check the credentials of the passport and other documents produced by the accused.
Meanwhile, the Anjuna Police has written to SDM, Bardez to seal the premises of Cosmos @ Greenspace hotel at Bamanwado, Siolim and Jolly Jolly Lester Hotel at Vagator as these resorts were found to be used for prostitution activities.
The villagers have demanded that the Tourism Department should issue a notice and withdraw the licences of the guesthouses who are involved in sleazy sex rackets. They also said that the panchayat should withdraw NOCs issued to such guesthouses and hotels as it has tarnished the name of the village.
Meanwhile, the website ‘Massage Republic’ is still active and accessible in Goa with pictures and contact numbers for calling and WhatsApp messages along with real-time photos of women and services they provide. The names of the guesthouses where the so-called massages take place also feature on the website. The website specifies the names of starred hotels where they provide services to their high-profile clients.
However, surprisingly the motto of the Goa Police “Help us to help you” has failed to serve its purpose by overlooking the website till date.
It may be recalled that Anjuna Police on Friday busted an international sex trafficking ring operating between Kenya and India and arrested two Kenyans. The police also rescued five victims from Kenya.
A Nigerian national, who is also involved in the racket, is absconding. The rescued women have been lodged in the Protective Home at Merces.
According to the police, the victims were brought to Goa and forced into massage parlour and subsequently into flesh trade and supplied to African men. They were living in miserable conditions and their passports were taken away by the accused. They were not allowed to go out and were virtually forced into flesh trade.
The racket was operated from two guesthouses in Anjuna and Siolim. Police have now initiated action against these guesthouse owners.