Goa awaiting Centre nod to block escort sites

PANJIM: For nearly a year now, the Goa government is awaiting a feedback from the Ministry in New Delhi on blocking of URLs and social media pages and handles that offer escort services. 

The Cyber Crime Cell of Goa police had in 2016 written to the State IT Department requesting to block around 100 escort services websites, which are frequently used to induce potential clients. The Cell concedes that these agencies provide escorts for clients, usually for sexual services. 

"It's fact that social media and internet has been misused by nefarious elements since its inception and it is well established that if there are advantages then there are disadvantages too. One of the biggest disadvantages is when criminals use the anonymity given by internet to proliferate their anti-social and criminal activities," Crime Branch SP Priyanka Kashyap told Herald.  

The CB sleuths beside police stations, have conducted over a dozen raids in the recent past, in a bid to crack down on the thriving online prostitution racket. "CB has been taking action against prostitution by conducting raids and booking cases against trafficking and prostitution, regularly," she added.  

Taking steps to root out the illegal activity, the CC sleuths approached the State IT department to ensure blocking of the sites. "We had found around 100 active sites hosting such illegal activities.  We had then written to the IT department for action," Kashyap, former SP of the tourist popular North District, said. 

A proposal, IT official disclosed to HERALD, was soon sent to the ministry but there has not been any feedback as on date. The social media networks like Facebook and Twitter are also being misused by the escort service agencies to hook up clients. HERALD had last week exposed on how the micro-blogging site is blatantly misused for this illicit business. A number of Twitter handles are created with offensive posts and pictures of girls. Ironically, many handles have thousands of followers and these tweets are retweeted and liked hundreds of time. 

Most of these suggestive profiles are now under the scanner of the Goa police. One of these - @NorthGoaEscorts reads, "Incall & Outcall Female Escort Service Agency in North Goa. High Class Incall & Outcall Female Escorts in North Goa. Russian Escort Girls in North Goa." The origin and from where the activity is being operated are now to be investigated by CB as the department took cognizance of the news report. DGP Muktesh Chander and SP Kashyap have confirmed the development.  The Cyber Cell will again approach the concerned to block such handles. "Solicitation in public places is a crime under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act," said an official. 

The Centre had till last year blocked nearly 200 offensive sites based on recommendations from the concerned authorities of different states.