It is not only Police Inspector Nilesh Rane in-charge of Calangute Police Station who has had alleged links to the prostitution racket in the coastal belt but many of the police personnel have been earlier punished for having alleged links with the pimps and abusing the victim girls who are in trade.
All these sex rackets have been reported in the coastal belt and most of them fall under the jurisdiction of the Calangute Police station.
Goa Police personnel have not only allegedly abused and taken protection money from pimps and sex workers but also have been accused of video recording on the mobile phone while having sex with the sex worker in the police van itself. The recording was done by one of the fellow constables and later circulated among the police department.
The incident occurred February 2009 in the jurisdiction of the Calangute Police Station. But the video recording reached the higher-ups only 10 months later, in December 2009. On conducting an inquiry, the Goa Police had immediately suspended the three officers for sexually abusing a girl in a police van and video graphing the sequence. Senior police officers had initiated inquiry into it only in the first week of December when the lewd clip was circulated amongst the police cadre.
The officers — constable Santosh Naik, Sahadev Sawal and Pritesh Naik — were later reinstated in the service after the inquiry as completed.
Police inspector Nolasco Raposo had submitted the detailed inquiry report to then superintendent of police (North) Bosco George, who recommended the suspension.
Goa Police had also filed an FIR against trio in the case which is presently pending for trial. FIR was filed by police following the direction from then Director General of Police B S Bassi.
One more case is the one involving two head constables Waman Naik and Santosh Vengurlekar and Constable Vijay Gaikwad who were suspended in December 2012 for sexually abusing a woman at a police station. The case which went in court for trial came in the favour of the accused who were acquitted a year back and all are now reinstated in service.
Based upon the complaint of two sex commercial sex workers the police had suspended the trio and later arrested in the offence. One of the alleged accuse was also on a run for over a month after his application for an anticipatory bail was rejected by the court.
Complainants had alleged that the cops whom they have named were forcibly having sexual intercourse with a commercial sex worker and extorting protection money from them and demanded sexual favours from them in 2010-11.
A commercial sex worker had also complained that she was brought to Calangute police station and sexually abused by Naik and the two other policemen in 2011.
A local NGO, working for the cause of women, had helped the victim to file the complaint with the crime branch of Goa Police.
The Goa Police is ashamed of the incidents in which their own officers are allegedly involved in the sexual abuse cases and linked in the prostitution rackets in the state.
Despite being suspended these sexual abuses and money extortions continued.
One such case has come to light this year in which Police Station in-charge himself is allegedly involved and linked with the pimps and commercial sex workers.
Earlier to the case of Police Inspector Rane, Deputy Superintendent of Police was also suspended for sexually harassing a lady constable by sending the lewd messages to her.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Shamba Sawant was suspended for allegedly sexually harassing a married lady constable. Sawant was accused of sending lewd text messages to the lady constable while both were posted at Crime Branch in July 2011. Goa police’s sexual harassment at workplace committee, inquiring into the matter, has indicted the officer of the charge. The victim in her statement had said that Sawant sent her lewd text messages and was pressing her for sex.
Sawant later reinstated in service and is at present posted at GRP Altinho.
In the recent case Goa Police is dragging its feet to initiate departmental action or filing FIR against Police Inspector Nilesh Rane and constable Vinod Naik who are allegedly linked in the sex trade which is very clear through the deposition of commercial sex workers before the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM).
The deposition by West Bengal based rescued girl before Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) has named Police inspector Nilesh Rane and Constable Vinod Naik which has also exposed nexus of Anjuna police inspector Paresh Naik with his colleague. Naik has been protecting Rane and the constable for quite some time despite having evidence in his hand.
Despite the fact that Goa Police is aware that PI Rane and constable Naik have named in the statement copy, they have continued in the service. Herald was the first to open the case of PI Rane and constable Naik which was hidden in the files of Anjuna Police. Following the report in Herald on April 28 the Director General of Police had asked for the preliminary inquiry in the case through CID Special Branch. However, the agency had already submitted its report to DGP which directly indicted PI Rane and constable Naik based on the various statement copies and witnesses.
It was very clear that Anjuna Police has not indicted their colleagues in the offence in which serious allegations were made against one of the Police Inspector who was then in charge of the Calangute Police Station.
No inquiry officer has been appointed till date by the Police Department.
Even after revealing the name in the statement before the SDM, Anjuna Police Inspector has not named the duo in the FIR whereas it is very clear that both the police has connected with the main pimp who was arrested in the case.
Anjuna Police Inspector has not only have not indicted his colleagues but also allowed the rescued girl to be released from the protective home even after giving the statement before SDM. The NOC for the release of the girl from the protective home was given by Anjuna Police Inspector Paresh Naik.
The rescued girl in her statement before SDM, Panel members in the presence of a NGO member, has said, “PI Calangute Mr Nilesh Rane was very close to him (Sameer alias Amjad Khan) and used to not rescue his girls and arrest his boys. Rane’s friend Vinod, who is also Police and one more person to take sexual services from the girls. Mr Nilesh Rane used to take hafta from Sameer for his safety and protection. Rane and Sameer were good friends and he used to inform his about any raids”.
Further she has said that one Saif Khan driver of Sameer had informed her a day before her arrest that two Police including Nilesh Rane were behind her to cause harm. She has also said that the day before her rescue Vinod had visited Sameer’s apartment in Sangolda, Raj Exotica where Sameer used to keep girls and was entertained by one of the girls from Delhi. “Nilesh Rane used to visit hotel at Reis Magos to take services of girls provided by Sameer”.
Corruption diary of the Goa police
Sandhya Gupta (Lady Police Sub-Inspector): Sandhya, who was then attached with Anti-Narcotic Cell of Goa Police, was suspended in the year 2007 for accepting bribe from a drug accused to travel out of India. ACB team had arrested one constable while accepting Rs 10,000 on behest of Gupta from the mother of the accused to travel out of Goa.
Both were suspended after the case which was booked by ACB under Prevention of Corruption Act. Later she was reinstated in service in the year 2011 pending departmental inquiry. The case has been charge-sheeted and pending trial in the court. Gupta is presently posted at Woman Police Station Panjim.
Vilesh Durbhatkar (Police Sub-Inspector): Durbhatkar, who was attached with Valpoi Police Station, was suspended in November 2008 and was reinstated very next day and posted at same Police. Durbhatkar was caught red handed by ACB team while accepting Rs 2000 at Valpoi Police Station to settle an accident case.
ACB has completed the investigation in the case and waiting for the nod from Police department to file a charge sheet against Durbhatkar in the court, ACB had sent for the department’s approval two months back but despite of reminder the sanction is yet to receive. Durbhatkar is presently posted at Porvorim Police Station.
Rahul Dhamshekar (Police Sub-Inspector): Dhamshekar, who was attached to Ponda Police Station, was caught red handed by ACB while accepting the bribe of Rs 10,000 to settle the assault case in August 2013. He was later arrested and suspended from the service. However, he was reinstated pending departmental inquiry. Dhamshekar has demanded Rs 36,000 to settle the case and Rs 25,000 has already paid to him and he was arrested while accepting the remaining payment of the deal.
Sushant Gawas (Police Sub-Inspector): Gawas, who was attached with the Calangute Police Station, was arrested by ACB while accepting the bribe of Rs 2500 from a Delhi-based businessman in December 2013. He was later suspended from the service and reinstated pending departmental inquiry. Gawas was demanding Rs 10,000 to settle the case which was registered at the Calangute Police Station.
Vikram Naik (Police Sub-Inspector): Naik, who was attached to Ponda Police Station, was booked by ACB for demanding Rs 35,000 from a witness in one of the case by threatening him to put inside the jail in January 2016. Naik was investigating the case of domestic violence whereas the accused was absconding and the complainant had given Naik the clue about the accused. Subsequently he was arrested and later Naik started threatening the source to trap him in the same case. Naik was later suspended from the service.
Sanjiv Patil (Head Constable): Patil, attached with Curchorem Police Station, was arrested by ACB in February 2016 while accepting bribe of Rs 5000 to settle the case of accident. The HC was later suspended and pending the departmental inquiry.
Atmaram Deshpande (Then SP and Principal of Police training School now elevated in IPS) was allegedly involved in the illegal allotment of electrical contract work at the police training school in Valpoi where he was the principal, exposed by Herald through a series of reports. He had awarded tendering work to a private contractor, worth Rs 14 lakh, without following the ‘codal formalities’. Based on the report ACB had initiated the Preliminary Inquiry which is underway. Meanwhile the attempts have been made by then SP of ACB Bosco George to close the case. Deshpande had recently bagged President Medal.
Sandesh Chodankar (Police Inspector): Chodankar who was then attached Anti Burglary Squad was caught in an extortion scam in May 2015. PI Chodankar, was re-instated after nearly three years of suspension in the NRI seafarer Cipriano Fernandes’ custodial death just before his second suspension.
According to Police he had extorted Rs 7 lakh from an ayurvedic treatment centre in Panjim along with his henchman, Constable Shatun Shetye.
Ashish Shirodkar (Police Inspector) and five others who were attached with the Anti-Narcotic Cell were arrested and suspended five years six years ago after their links found in the drug mafias in the state. However they all have been reinstated in service last year pending the departmental inquiry and pending CBI investigation.
Sunil Guddler (Police Sub-Inspector): Guddler, then attached with Anti-Narcotic Cell, was suspended and arrested after being caught on video-cam negotiating with two women over the sale of drugs in January 2011.
The PSI is now facing trial in the court as the CBI filed a charge sheet against him over a year back, officer is still under suspension. ACB has also booked a case against him for disproportionate assets.
Vibhav Naik (Police Sub-Inspector): Naik who was attached with Vasco Police Station, was arrested by Goa Police and charged under the National Security Act after being caught in the fake currency note case in July 2011. He was reinstated two years later on May 14, 2014. He too faced arrest in August 2011 on charges of pushing fake notes worth Rs3 lakh through casinos.
