The curtains have not yet come down on the Calangutepimp-police nexus with the suspension of three cops Waman Naik, SantoshVengulekar and Vijay Gaikwad. In fact the saga has just begun.
So far, only one identification parade has taken place byone of the victims who is from Mumbai. The second round of identification bythe second victim from Jharkhand is expected to expose that the dirty pictureextended from Calangute till far away Bicholim Police Station. The victims tellthe Goan how the cops came home and enslaved them.
Cops wanted our money, then forced themselves on us
The girl from Mumbai: “I am 28 years old and was brought upin an orphanage in Mumbai. I grew up neither knowing who my parents were norwas anybody interested to know whether who my parents were. Four years ago, Icame down to Goa looking for a job and took up the first one as a bouncer in aclub in South Goa. The job was okay but I needed more to survive. I took upthis job as pre-educator for a NGO that was dealing with educating commercialsex workers on safe sex. The NGO is funded by Goa State Aids Control Society.Though the work was decent the earning was not. I saw that the people I wouldbe educating would be getting far more than we worked for. I slowly got suckedinto the trade and landed up being a sex worker myself. I had a Muslimboyfriend, who used to work for a reputed cellphone company. He helped mesolicit customers and I moved into Baga, the hub of the trade.
I used to stay at a rented house of this Christian aunty.The home was not only safe as there were no prying men but had people from asimilar trade. The house had 7-8 rooms and I was the lone female inmate. Therest all of the rooms were occupied by transgenders. The landlady too stayed ona different wing of the house and kept strict vigil on us. It is here that Isaw that police were aware about prostitution. They used to visit this place,but never upset the trade.
I know the all about the nexus between prostitutes andpolice, as I stayed up late in the night on Calangute-Baga Beach. It is hereduring one of the many nights that I was first caught by the cops. First theythreatened to arrest and send me to jail. But then I bribed them, even talkednicely to them. They let me go but never left me since.
One night on the beach this uniformed cop asked me to meethim behind an abandoned shack. He asked me to shag him and perform oral sex.Since then there was no end to it. First, this cop and then others would justcome in and force themselves upon me, threatening me if I resisted. On thestreets they would be mean and businesslike. They would take hafta from guidesand even us. We knew that it was not only our money that they wanted but alsous.”
“My ‘customers’ werecops from Bichiolim and Mapusa”- HIV positive sex worker
That girl from Jharkhand: “I am HIV positive. I am a 23 yearold, originally from Jharkhand where I lived with my sister. I came to Goa viaDelhi, where other girls from North East told me that this was a good place toearn.
I was aware that the police used to let go the commercialsex workers with protection money. But I also had a different sort ofclientele. While Calangute cops would demand money, there were these customersfrom Bicholim and Mapusa police station. I can identify them easily. TheBicholim cops were so humorous and generous. They would come and pick me up ontheir motorbikes and take me to a lodge to help themselves. They would even payme anywhere between Rs 100 to 500 per visit. However there was this olddrunkard (from Bicholim) who would not pay a single penny. They would pay me wheneverthey felt like it. And not just me, but any of us would be treated like this bycops.”
