Goa police rescues two girls who were forced into prostitution

Panaji: The Goa police has rescued two girls hailing from Punjab and West Bengal, who were forced into prostitution, a senior police official said.

Both the girls were rescued in a raid conducted here Wednesday, but three people who allegedly masterminded the racket are on the run, the police said.

Allegedly, customers were being solicited through an online portal which gave a Goa-based mobile phone number.

Both the rescued girls, who are in their 20s, are currently lodged at the state-run protective home.

Two local youth, who had accompanied the girls, have also been arrested by the police.

The raid was conducted by the Calangute police who sent a decoy customer to meet the girls, the police said.

The victims were ferried to a spot in Calangute by a car, when the police took them into custody.

A non-governmental organisation called Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ), was taken into confidence while conducting the raid, the police said.

The rescued girls told the police that they arrived in Goa last week after an assurance that they could make good money here.

A case under Sections 4, 5 and 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 and Section 67-A of the Information and Technology Act (Amended) has been registered against the accused.