Goa police busts international sex racket, used QR codes for payments

Goa police recently uncovered extensive use of UPI payment method employed by an international sex trafficking ring. Although the operation was based in Goa, it was being run from Kenya. The scheme involved victims, who were sex workers, providing QR codes to their clients for payment, which was then fully transferred to the human traffickers. Typically, the QR code/UPI payment was completed at the initial stage of the transaction to ensure that clients did not evade payment later on, according to reports. Anjuna Police Inspector Prashal Dessai disclosed that Maria Dorcas, aged 28, and Wilkista Achitsa, aged 22, both Kenyan nationals, were apprehended for their involvement in this sex trafficking operation. Additionally, with the assistance of a local outfit called Arz, all five Kenyan women who were victims were successfully rescued. The police are currently in pursuit of a third suspect, a Nigerian individual. This illicit sex trafficking operation primarily targeted educated Kenyan women by deceiving them with false promises of employment in the hospitality industry. The traffickers responsible for orchestrating this deceitful ploy handled all the necessary paperwork for the women’s relocation to India. Furthermore, the traffickers took care of purchasing their airline tickets. This is not the first time that pimps and traffickers have implemented UPI to ensure payment. Previously, pimps operating in Goa had mandated that clients produce their Aadhaar card before they hire sex workers. This requirement served both to verify the legitimacy of the client and to evade law enforcement scrutiny. Elaborating on the modus operandi of the current trafficking operation, the cop explained, “Upon the women’s arrival in Goa, the trafficker confiscated their passports under the pretense of securing them employment. If the victims resisted, they were subjected to threats and demanded to pay Rs 5-8 lakh. They were only released after the victims paid the traffickers Rs 5 lakh through prostitution.” Inspector Dessai of Anjuna highlighted that the traffickers operated a website called ‘Massage Republic’ to connect with potential customers. He stated, “Once an agreement was reached between the customer and the traffickers, the customer would meet the victim. Before proceeding further, the victim had to share a QR code with the customer. Once the payment was made, the entire sum of money was transferred to the traffickers’ account.” Arz became aware of this information when the women were transported to Bengaluru for prostitution. Arun Pandey, the founder and director of Arz, stated, “One of our partner NGOs received information about this interstate trafficking and alerted us.” Arz managed to locate a victim in Goa and assisted her in filing a complaint. Subsequently, the Anjuna police promptly registered a complaint and conducted a raid at the location in Anjuna where the victims and the mastermind of the international sex trafficking ring were situated.