Mapusa: Sonu Singh alias Tiger Singh, 32, accused of trafficking a 22-year-old woman from Mumbai in Goa, was remanded to seven days police custody on Tuesday. He is also wanted in an attempt to murder case registered at the Porvorim police station. “Ram Bahadur Thapa alias Sonu Singh alias Tiger is a native of Uttaranchal whose father is a retired cook in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police,” police sources said.
Police said that Sonu is the kingpin in the prostitution racket, which supplied women from Mumbai to clients here. “Sonu had came down to Goa in 2004 with an intention of going abroad. He stayed at a rented place in Candolim, and joined a private security agency later. While working as a security guard, he came in contact with a woman named Saroj, who was married and had two children. She was in the prostitution business in Porvorim,” police sources said.
“Saroj divorced her husband and married Sonu. The wife-husband duo, with an intention of making a quick buck, started a full-fledged prostitution business. They operated it with the help of a Mumbai-based agent named Shaheen Pathan. Women were procured from Mumbai agents with the help of Pathan and were brought to Goa in cars using the NH 17. The women were brought to Malpem in Pernem,” a police official said.
“The strategy adopted was to get one or two women at a time and send them back within a fortnight. This ensured that they never got caught. Their clientele were mostly foreigners – mainly Nigerians, Indian tourists and even locals. Women were usually supplied to hotels,” police sources said.
The breakthrough came when Mapusa police – on the night of August 11 – allegedly rescued a woman from the Mapusa market, where she was moving in a suspicious manner. The 25-year-old woman, during interrogation, revealed that she was forced into prostitution by Pathan.
The case saw further incidents when constable Vishwavijay Parab of Mapusa police station allegedly molested the woman. Parab was later suspended from service.On August 27, police received a tip-off that Sonu, Saroj and their accomplices were travelling around Pilerne to supply a woman to a customer. While Saroj was arrested. Sonu got away – but not before ramming the car into PSI Laxi Amonkar.
Saroj had earlier undergone an appendix operation and as the stitches were giving her problems, police took her to the Goa medical college and hospital, Bambolim, for medical attention on Saturday. Police were hopeful that Sonu would come to see his wife and were lying in wait. On Monday evening, Sonu entered the hospital and was spotted by police. Sonu observed that he was being followed and entered an ATM kiosk inside the GMC complex. Police opened the kiosk door using an ATM card and placed him under arrest. Police constable Premanand Saval, Ladu Sawant, Sandip Gawde and Saruja Kerkar were part of the operation, which was supervised by PI Uttam Raut Desai.
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