TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Panjim police and their counterparts in Kolhapur have established contact in the child trafficking racket with a local police team in Kolhapur to take custody of prime accused Emmanuel Gaikwad. Likewise, Kolhapur police are in Goa to meet the six rescued children as a part of their ongoing investigation.
Gaikwad, owner of NGO My Father’s House in Kolhapur, was arrested late Saturday and three children rescued by Kolhapur police. Goa police, after an initial lethargic attitude, are now moving fast.
“Our team will seek Gaikwad’s transfer warrant from a magistrate in Kolhapur, to bring him to Goa for interrogation. He will be formally arrested here,” a Panjim police official said.
Meanwhile, the Kolhapur police in Goa is to contact North Goa district child welfare committee to gain access to the four underage children lodged in Apna Ghar at Merces and Protective Home in Tivim. Two boys, aged 18 and 19 years have been released on their request.
“My team is in touch with the Panjim police to investigate the modus operandi of the accused persons, how the children were taken to Goa, and meet them (rescued victims) to know whether they have any grievances,” Kolhapur SP Manoj Kumar Sharma told Herald, over the phone, on Monday.
The Panjim police had rescued six boys from Kolhapur from the custody of British national Timothy Geddes with the help of NGOs ARZ and Childline. The foreigner was found loitering with two children in the capital. The police then raided the St Cruz villa where four more boys were rescued. The man was charged under Section 8 of Goa Children’s Act but was let off although he did not posses any valid documents to show the children’s legal custody.
Sources said the Korean missionary Ekuk Kim, a co-suspect in the case and Geddes could soon be summoned for questioning.
