British Tourist Raped In Front Of Husband On Goa Beach In Pretext Of Mud Bath, Accused Arrested
At a time when Goa is trying to shake off the impact of COVID-19 on its tourism industry and welcome international tourists, yet another sexual assault on a beach is raising questions about their safety.
On Tuesday, a local resident was arrested by the police on charges of rape after he sexually assaulted a British tourist.
Gang that?illegally offered massage services to tourists
A British woman was sexually assaulted near the Arambol beach in Goa under the pretext of giving her a massage, on June 2.
According to the police, Joel Vincent D'Souza, a local resident, raped the middle-aged British woman when she was relaxing at the beach.
Police said the 32-year-old accused was part of a group that illegally offered massage services near the Arambol beach in North Goa district, which is quite popular with international tourists.
As per the police complaint lodged by the middle-aged woman, who is on a Goa trip, the accused allegedly raped her under the pretext of giving her a massage when she was lying near the Sweet Water Lake, located close to the beach, along with her male partner, an official said.
Accused sent to four days police custody
The alleged incident had taken place on June 2, but the woman lodged the complaint at the Pernem police station on Monday after consulting her family members in the UK and seeking assistance from the British Embassy in India, he said.
Within an hour of getting the complaint, the Pernem police, led by inspector Vikram Naik, swung into action and arrested the accused, the official said.
D'Souza who has been under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been sent to four days of police custody.
Crackdown on illegal spas and massage parlours
Earlier this week, the police had launched a crackdown on illegal spas and massage parlours operating in Goa on directions of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.?
The CM had said that Police Inspectors of respective areas will be held responsible if illegal activities are found taking place in the name of massage.?
On Tuesday the police sealed an illegally operated spa in Anjuna beach village which was operated by a man who hails from Tamil Nadu without a proper license.
To ensure the safety of tourists, state police personnel have also been asked to start patrolling in civil clothes near the beaches and the number of officers will be increased in the upcoming tourist season after the monsoon.
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