PANJIM: Arrested for pimping. Now free and “massaging”. This seems to be the case with many pimps who have actually been nabbed by the police who have found their way back in the system as either fronts, or associated with massage parlours, plying their trade in a veiled manner.
Massage parlours in the coastal areas have been mushrooming with the blessings of the law enforcement agencies, to the extent that even persons who have been arrested under the Human Trafficking Act in cases connected to the flesh trade, are back in business at various places by opening massage parlours, which are nothing but fronts for flesh trade.
Take for instance, Shyam B, who was arrested by Calangute Police in a prostitution case and has an offence registered against him. He is now operating massage parlours in Calangute and Anjuna.
Anjuna Police Inspector Paresh Naik said he will check on the history of the parlour operator and if he is involved in any cases related to flesh trade the operations will be closed. Naik, however, said the massage parlour is operating illegally without mandatory permission from the Health Department.
Shyam also operated a massage parlour in Calangute which was shut down recently but has started a new one with a different name in another waddo.
However, Calangute Police Inspector Tushar Vernekar has denied that Shyam who was involved in
the flesh trade is operating a massage parlour. Shyam was arrested during a raid in a massage parlour from the coastal belt and two girls, he had procured to push into the flesh trade, were rescued.
Alam, another person arrested by Crime Branch in a human trafficking case, is now operating a massage parlour in Porvorim at Chogam road. Porvorim Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi said he will verify if any person with a history sheet is operating a massage parlour. He said no massage parlour operators in Porvorim have sought permission from them.
Another person with a history sheet, Imran, arrested by Crime Branch thrice, the last time from Miramar-Panjim, is operating a massage parlour in Arpora in a resort, but Anjuna Police have no record of it.
There is another massage parlour operated by Natasha and Kabir in Saligao who were partners of Aldon who was arrested in Calangute in a prostitution raid.
As per records of the Directorate of Health Services, which is a licensing authority, there are 129 massage parlours and spas registered across the State. Health Director Dr Sanjeev Dalvi said the department issues licenses based on the report sent by the local health officers after the inspection of the premises. “We issue licenses under the Goa Public Health Act, 2010 and Goa Spa Amendment Rule, 2014,” Dr Dalvi said.
