Panaji : Disturbed by the spate of sex attacks on teenage girls, including rape of a two-year-old infant, Goa police is most likely to issue safety advisory for women.
The state recently witnessed two separate cases of rape, molestation and kidnapping incidents in different parts of the capital city while Colva police station in South Goa, is probing another case of sexual assault on a two year old baby.
In the first case earlier this month, a city-based art teacher Kannaiya Naik was arrested for raping his student in his flat at Ribandar.
The investigation revealed that the government school teacher had offered parents of the tenth standard student free tuitions as she was a slow learner.
The incident has shocked the teaching fraternity, so also students even as he is facing custodial interrogation at present.
In another case, a 36-year-old labourer suspected of molesting another school going girl, was placed under arrest last week. The incident occurred when the girl’s mother, a daily wage worker, was away from home on the outskirts of the city.
Seeing the victim alone in her small hut, the accused dragged her in the nearby bushes and molested her. “She managed to escape and narrated the incident to her mother following which a complaint was lodged,” an officer from the investigating team told.
In a fresh case, a maid’s teenaged daughter was repeatedly raped in an empty bus whole night until next morning.
Traumatized by the incident, the girl, who belongs from the neighbouring state fled to her native village. She was brought back to Goa with the help of an NGO and local police.
“She spoke how her ex-neighbour repeatedly raped her in the bus and threatened her not to disclose the incident to her family failing which she will be killed. The youth gagged her mouth and sexually abused her,” a senior police officer, supervising the investigation, said.
The youth identified as Srikant Chanagoni, originally from Dharwad and a conductor in a local private bus, was arrested soon thereafter.
In yet another shameful incident, 25-year-old Santan Fernandes sexually assaulted a two-year-old baby on finding her alone at home.
The child’s mother, on discovering what had happened to her daughter, thrashed the accused who was in an inebriated condition but he managed to flee. The accused was living in the vicinity of the victim’s residence.
The police initially registered a case of molestation but after the medical reported suggested rape pointing sexual injury and internal wounds, a case of rape was registered.
He was arrested after a massive manhunt and remanded.
Since the incidents are reported against children, the investigating authorities besides slapping stringent IPC sections in the FIRs have invoked Goa Children’s Act 2003 which includes imprisonment of not less than 10 years.
With the locals being treated with reports on the despicable act of rape and molestation of minor girls, it has prompted the police department to intensify patrolling while also asking women to remain vigilant and take extra precautious.
“We are asking the women to remain vigilant and not to leave their minor children at the hands of unknown person or alone,” said a senior officer.
Earlier this week, Panaji and Agassaim police stations registered two separate cases of robbery wherein two suspects impersonating police officers robbed two elderly women of gold ornaments. The incident occurred within 90 minutes of each other.