Panaji: Very high figures of over 4,000 rescued trafficked women in Goa during 10 months of 2015 documented in reply to a question in the Parliament recently has puzzled NGOs working in rescue work as well as the Crime Branch of State police.

The number of rescued trafficked women in Goa for the year 2015(till October) has been as high as 4371 according to a reply given in the Lok Sabha to an unstarred question tabled recently.

In reply to a question asked by MP Adhalrao Patil and eight others, the Home Ministry has given a detailed reply about the cases of rescued children below the age of 18 and women, statewise.

While there is no doubt that NGOs like Goa-based ARZ express deep concern for growing problem of trafficked women in this coastal tourist State, the 10-monthly figure of 4371 and the previous year figure of 2207 have shocked and confused the NGOs themselves.

Mr. Arun Pande of ARZ and Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch Karthik Kashyap when asked about these figures by The Hindu on Wednesday indicated that it could be some error, The Hindu reported

Mr. Pande, whose organisation is doing major work in rescue and rehabilitation of rescued women from trafficking said that the yearly figures of rescued trafficked women for Goa cannot cross 100.

The reply goes on to give the figures of rescued children for the year 2014 as 417 and for the year 2015 (till October) at 823. The NGOs and Goa police are unconvinced about these statistics as well.