TEAM HERALD
“All these things are sullying the image of Goa. The message carried is that you can do whatever you want in Goa,” Superintendent of Police (Crime) O P Mishra had told the media at that time. At that time too the rescued Thai women had told an enquiry committee headed by a Sub Divisional Magistrate that they were forced into sex trade by their employers after visas and passports were withheld.
Yesterday, two years later, the police raided a parlour, in St Inez and rescued another 4 Thai girls and two Indians. Sources say that their passports too were held back by the owners. Police arrested 4 people including a former Taleigoa panch. They have been sent on to judicial custody for 14 days.
In yesterday’s raid, the police had rescued 6 girls including four Thais in the raid conducted using a decoy customer. Police say that ladies engaged in cross massage were found.
During the raid the police found Sydney Barreto from Taleigao, Pankaj Sharma, Vipul Patel and Nilesh Pradhan all from Dadar Nagar Haveli at the spa.
The spa was managed by R Binge and P Doris with the owner E Kumari apparently from and at present in Pune.
A couple of days before this the PWD Minister Ramkrishna Sudhin Dhavalikar had made a statement that Chief Minister Manohar Parriakr who is also the home minister had said that a harsh line would be taken against these massage parlours.
But after two years and despite the protestation of both police and politicians these massage parlours continue to proliferate and despite regular and continuous raids women continue to be trafficked, used and abused before being “rescued.”
Today there is a trend – a perusal of the news papers would be an eye opener – where massages are available at your home.
And they are being freely advertised. Escort services are available online and there is speculation that there are high level politicians, on both sides of the fence who indulge and are a part of it.
According to media reports the police have conducted more than 17 raids and ‘rescued’ more than 50 girls this year itself.
Earlier, it was at night clubs, but now it is shifting to massage parlours. And despite raids these massage parlours thrive in the State.
According to police, they have arrested so many but they get out and continue.
A recent raid in the city had even netted a minister form another State.
After the initial arrest that case too drags on.
The pimps and the owners, most of whom are non-Goans and some even from outside the country operate with relative impunity; and in one known and freely discussed case, they managed to get a police inspector transferred for being “over zealous” in his pursuit of massage parlous and gambling joints.
In 2010 Calangute police raided a massage parlour run by a North Indian. He managed by hook or by crook to actually get the PI Nolasco Raposo out and get him to face disciplinary action.
This was after in July 2010 where the police had busted a sex racket and rescued 30 Manipuri girls.
Manipuri and Thai girls and men are in all parlours in the city as well as the coastal belt.
Business goes on, probably because lots of big fish are involved – with most customers being Indians and not foreigners as Dhavalikar would like to believe.
The police are aware as any taxi driver would inform a tourist about these parlours the minute he steps into the car.
