‘Customer can't be prosecuted under immoral trafficking act'
Panaji:
A North Goa court ruled that a customer cannot be tried for offences under the
Immoral Trafficking Act
, and discharged the customer who was apprehended along with an accused who supplied a woman in a
prostitution case
at Calangute, in a case dating back to 2017.
The court held that charges could only be framed against the accused person who procured and supplied the woman, and not against the customer, who was also made an accused.
In Nov 2017, the Calangute police charged both the person who supplied the woman and the customer for trafficking under Section 370 of the IPC and under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
During the raid at a resort at Umta Vaddo, Calangute, the survivor, upon being rescued, stated that she travelled by bus from Mumbai to Goa. When she arrived in Goa, she met the accused, who then took her to meet a customer at the resort, after which the raid took place.
The court stated that her statement does not implicate the second accused, who is a customer arranged by the first accused.
'The complaint and panchanama would show that accused no. 1 procured the woman for sexual activities and was living on the earnings of such activities. The statement of the woman does not implicate accused no. 2, except that he was a customer arranged by accused no. 1,' stated North Goa additional sessions judge,
Sharmila A Patil
.
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