Team Herald
MAPUSA: The Crime Branch of the Goa Police busted a sex trade racket and arrested two and rescued two victim girls from Maharashtra during a raid at Naikawaddo, Calangute early morning on Wednesday.
Police said that the Crime branch received information from sources that two persons are supplying girls for sex at Calangute. Accordingly, on Tuesday, a decoy customer was arranged and police staff along with an NGO member, Andrea Pereira laid a trap at Calangute.
When the suspected persons came to the spot, they were rounded by police. One of the accused came on a scooter while the other in a Maruti Swift car with the victim girls to execute the deal.
During the raid police seized a Dio scooter and a Swift car as well as cash and mobile phones.
The arrested accused are in their mid-twenties; they are identified as Akshay Karnwal, a native of Uttar Pradesh and Tophik Lakhimhar, a resident of Curti, Ponda. The accused have been remanded in police custody for six days.
Both the victim girls who were rescued are natives of Maharashtra and are currently lodged in the State Protective Home at Merces for safe custody.
In this connection an offence under Section 370 (3) of IPC and Section 4, 5 of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act has been registered.
Further investigation is in progress with PI Jivba Dalvi of Crime Branch under the supervision of DySP Crime Mahesh Gaonkar and SP Crime Bosco George IPS.
