Russian envoy defends his countrymen running Goa taxi business

Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin today defended his countrymen illegally running taxi business in Goa during their stay here, saying they did so because of local cabs overcharging enormously.
The Russian envoy also rubbished often repeated statements about the presence of "the Russian mafia" in Goa.
"If out of 1.5 lakh Russians visiting Goa annually, two to three people are badmash (crooks) that does not mean all Russians are a mafia," he told reporters here.
"Mafia means organised gangs. Gangs are always in organised crime. If they are in Goa, they will have to cooperate with somebody in Goa. We have not received any inputs about (Russian) mafia activity in Goa from law enforcement agencies," Kadakin said.

Referring to his countrymen running taxi operations in Goa, he said they were helping their fellow countrymen from being fleeced by local taxi operators who charge ten times extra.
"There are people (Russian tourists) who come to Goa to spend a week or two with their hard-earned money. Will you call Russians as 'mafia' if they help them (Russians tourists) by offering them taxi service at ten times cheaper rate?" he questioned.
Recently, local taxi operators had asked the state government to crack down on Russians who arriving here on tourist visas and operating taxi business illegally.
The Goa state transport department had undertaken a drive, after the situation in the coastal belt became tense over the issue.