Panaji: Crime branch of Goa police on Sunday busted an international online prostitution racket and arrested four persons including a Russian national and two agents.
During the raid, four victims were rescued from a hotel at Gauravvaddo, Calangute. The raid was conducted with the help of Vasco-based NGO, ARZ and after meticulous planning. One of the five arrested is a 41-year-old Russian national, Natalia Bhalachandra, married to an Indian. While she lived in Candolim, her Indian husband is staying in Bengaluru.
A crime branch official said, of four females rescued, one is from Bengaluru, two from Nagpur and one from West Bengal.
Police have also attached a car used by one of the accused allegedly for transporting victims to their customers.
Others, who are arrested for their alleged involvement include Swapnesh Naik, 28, and Parshuram Vadar, 35, both from Goa, who allegedly helped victims transport, and also doubled up as an agent; Priyanka Sinha, 21, a native of Jharkhand, but was living in Candolim at the time of the arrest. She acted as an agent, police said.
The trap was laid under the supervision of Karthik Kashyap, SP (crime branch). PI Dattaguru Sawant, along with PSI Laxi Amonkar and police constable Chandrashekhar Pednekar, conducted the raid.
The crime branch has registered the offence under Sections, 4, 5, 6 of Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, and under Section 370 (buying or selling any person as a slave) read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).