PANAJI
In yet another case exposing the stark under-belly of Goa’s tourism sector, the Crime Branch on Friday busted a trafficking racket in which one of the three rescued victims is a television starlet.
Police said, they have arrested the kingpin of the racket, Hafix Sayed Bilal, a 26-year-old man from Andhra Pradesh, and booked him under sections 370 (3), 370 (A) (2) of the Indian Penal Code. Three sections of the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act have also been pressed against Bilal.
According to the Crime Branch sleuths, the three victim girls hailed from Jharkhand, Virar near Mumbai and Telangana. one of whom is a television artiste who has featured in several serials.
The racket was busted using decoys after Billal, who was allegedly running the high-profile racket providing girls to clients in posh Panaji hotels, agreed to deliver three girls on payment of Rs 50,000 near a well-known hotel in Sangolda.
When the decoy ‘clients’ reached the spot, Billal was nabbed at the spot and the victim girls were rescued.
The team of Crime Branch sleuths was led by Police Inspectors Rahul Parab, Narayan Chimulkar and Therron D’Costa. DySP Raju Raut Desai supervised the operation and D’Costa is investigating the case.
