TEAM HERALD
CALANGUTE: Upset over claims by some ministers that taxi drivers are involved in prostitution trade along the Calangute coast, a group of taxi drivers and owners detained a tout along with a customer at the Calangute Association ground on Monday.
The tout was given a sound thrashing by an irate mob of onlookers and was later handed over to Calangute police for an inquiry.
Calangute police arrested Raj Gopal (22) of Andhra Pradesh, who works as a tourist guide in Calangute, while letting off the customer. PSI Nitin Harlankar is investigating the case.
According to sources, the tout was enticing domestic male tourists into prostitution by offering girls at Rs 2,000. A male customer had allegedly paid Rs 2,000 for the deal and the tout promised to bring the girl at 5 pm.
Sources informed that the taxi drivers affiliated to North Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association (NGTTOA), who were stationed near the Calangute Association football ground, overheard the conversation and caught hold of the tout and the customer.
After the tout was given a sound thrashing, he spilled the beans that a deal had been struck with the customer. Calangute police rushed to the site and took both the persons to the Calangute police station.
The taxi owners and drivers also rushed to Calangute police station and urged Calangute police to initiate strict action against the tout and the customer. The Calangute police arrested the tout and promised to deal in the matter firmly.
“Time and again, the ministers and the State government have blamed the taxi owners and drivers for their involvement in prostitution trade in the coastal belt of Calangute and other places,” NGTTOA Secretary Vinayak Nanoskar told Herald.
“We wanted to show the government that taxi owners and drivers are in no way connected with the trade. In the last few days, we have been driving away such persons involved in prostitution trade, but today we decided to catch hold of such people and hand them over to the police,” said Nanoskar.
“This is just the beginning and we will continue to nab such people involved in the prostitution racket. We want to prove to the government that we the taxi owners and drivers are in no way connected with such illegal prostitution trade. Outsiders working in the coastal belts are carrying out such illegal trade and Goans are being tarnished for no reason,” he added.
Added another taxi driver: “Outsiders involved in such illegal trades are doing business in open and police are well aware of the illegal activities, but are hesitant to act due to political patronage extended to such people. We rarely find a Goan involved in such illegal trade.”
