PANJIM: Voicing grave concerns over the sex trafficking nexus through Goa, Arun Pandey, President of Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ), said that this is just the tip of the iceberg and there appears to be many more girls who have been victims of this network.
Pandey’s statement comes in the wake of revelations of another case involving a Kenyan allegedly involved in criminal activities while residing in Goa on a student visa. He emphasised that the rescued girls represent only a fraction of the larger issue.
He urged the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take charge of the sex trafficking probe while the Enforcement Directorate conducts investigation in financial transactions in the said case.
Pandey said, “We are happy that the Enforcement Directorate has initiated investigation in the case of Kenyan girls rescued by Anjuna Police. This trafficking network is spread not only in Goa but other parts of India like Bengaluru, Chennai, Gujarat and Punjab.”
“We feel that the girls who have been rescued are only the tip of Iceberg and there appears to be many more girls who have been victims of this network of sex trafficking. We feel that this case should be taken over by the NIA because they have a special cell to investigate trafficking cases as established by the Enforcement Directorate,” he added.
Claiming that this network may have trafficked over 100 girls, Pandey said, “Few girls rescued and few girls arrested would not solve or end this problem of sex trafficking in Goa. We appeal as an anti-sex trafficking organisation to let the ED conduct investigation in financial transactions and on the other side NIA should take over and investigate the sex trafficking,” he added.
Goa No. 1 State in deporting foreign nationals caught in crimes: DGP
PANJIM: Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh said that Goa is the number one State in the country to have deported the maximum number of foreign nationals caught in crimes.
Speaking to O Heraldo on the backdrop of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting a Kenyan national as a part of its action against the sex trafficking racket, DGP Singh informed that it was the case originally registered by Anjuna Police.
“We had raided and arrested a Kenyan in this offence. Now, since it is a scheduled offence, it is tagged with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). We send a copy of the FIR to the ED,” he said.
To that then the ED does the follow up investigation to find out whether there was money laundering involved,” he said.
Explaining ED’s role in trafficking, he said that the other tentacles of the trafficking to find out is a long drawn investigation and ED being a central agency has reached all over India.
When asked whether it is difficult to track the foreigners visiting the State, the DGP said, “Once you have a particular visa, you land at a particular immigration counter and thereafter you are free to roam. Unless you are a citizen of China, Pakistan or Afghanistan, your movements are restricted and asked to report to the nearest police station. But otherwise you are free to roam wherever you wish,” he said.
“Unless you have a brush with the law enforcement, there will be no tracking. The Kenyan, who has been caught, will remain in jail and will be blacklisted,” he said.
“We have a detention centre and we are the number one State to deport foreign nationals caught in contravention of law,” he added.