Goa sex shop shuts down without trade licence

Panaji, March 17 (IANS) Billed by its promoters as the country's first "legal" sex shop "Kama Gizmos", near the popular Calangute beach in North Goa, has been forced to down its shutters, about a month after its launch.Speaking to reporters Calangute village panchayat sarpanch Dinesh Simepurushkar said on Wednesday that the panchayat authorities had received oral complaints regarding the store, after a news clip related to it went viral earlier this week."We have instructed the owners of the store to get the sign board removed. They did not have a trade licence," Simepurushkar told reporters.The store, co-founded by businessman Nirav Mehta, had been launched last month and had been billed as the country's first "legal" sex store, selling sex-related accessories.It was located along one of the busiest and expensive properties in the coastal belt, which witnesses heavy tourist footfalls.Simepurushkar said that the panchayat had received oral complaints over the phone, after a news clip about the store went viral."We have now asked the owners to get legal documents related to the store," the official said.No comment was forthcoming from Mehta, despite efforts to get in touch with the store's co-founder.
--IANS maya/in