Pimps luring women to prostitution in Goa

The lure of a job in a casino has landed a 22-year-old young woman from Mumbai into prostitution in Goa, police said Friday. And officers fear there may be many more women in the same bracket.

The arrest of a 35-year-old woman pimp from Mumbai has thrown up the possibility of young women being taken to Goa after being promised work in casinos that dot the state.

Once they are in Goa, they are forced into prostitution.

"Shaheen Pathan's interrogation has thrown up several cases where girls from Mumbai were trafficked to Goa for prostitution, using the pretext of high-paying casino jobs," a police official told IANS.

The trend surfaced after the 22-year-old young woman, arrested for soliciting in Mapusa, a town in north Goa, 10 km from here, complained that police officials had demanded oral sex.

A departmental probe led to the suspension of a police constable -- and also revealed the operation of a trafficking cell in Mumbai led by Pathan.

"She used to forward girls to dealers in Goa with the promise of jobs onboard casinos which pay around Rs.20,000 per month. Once they were here, they were pushed into prostitution," a police official said.

"After Pathan's interrogation we have realised that there are at least 25 young women forced into prostitution."

But he added it would be difficult to track