TEAM HERALD
CALANGUTE: Locals helped Calangute Police to bust a prostitution racket and rescue three girls at Gaura Vaddo, Calangute, on Thursday.
Calangute Police rounded up three persons in connection with the racket and sealed the premises of a commercial establishment at Naika-Gaura Vaddo, Calangute.
According to sources, a tourist, who had hired a rent-a-bike, complained that he was cheated by the owners of the commercial establishment at Gaura Vaddo. The tourist told the locals that he had paid them Rs 2,500 in exchange for a girl, but they were unwilling to give him a girl and that he was even threatened by the bouncers of the commercial establishment.
Sources further informed that the locals forced the tourist to call the police, who accompanied the tourist to the place, while the locals rushed to the site. Seeing the locals in large numbers, girls started running away but were stopped by the locals. However, two girls made good their escape from another exit while three were stopped by the locals and the Calangute Police team.
A Calangute Panchayat team headed by Joseph Sequeira, panch of the area, along with acting Sarpanch Subhash Salgaonkar, Panchas Savio Gonsalves and Jainath Parulekar rushed to the site and helped Calangute Police in rescue operations.
Calangute Police team, led by PSI Nitin Harlankar, rounded up customers and dealers and shut down the premises. A large number of locals demanded immediate arrest and sealing of the premises due to illegal activities in the premises in the residential area.
Speaking to Herald, Sequeira said, “We were made to believe that there is no prostitution in the coastal villages of Calangute, but today’s raid by the locals proved the government authorities wrong.”
“It is high time that the Calangute Police and the government authorities keep a close watch on such illegal activities, especially in Calangute. We want our Calangute village free of such illegal activities, especially prostitution,” he said.
When contacted, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo said, “Illegal activities like prostitution are prevalent in the tourism belt, but we the citizens should be alert to curb such activities.”
“The citizens should come forward to identify places and help police bust such prostitution rackets like today and send a strong signal that illegal activities like prostitution are not welcome in our State and especially in tourist village of Calangute. I will direct Calangute Police to take strict action against those involved in such illegal activities in the coastal belt of Calangute,” said Lobo.
