British woman raped at Goa beach in front of husband
A British woman was allegedly raped near Goa's Arambol beach in front of her husband by a local man, the police said on Tuesday. The accused, identified as Vincent D'Souza (32), allegedly raped the woman under the pretext of giving her a massage when she was lying near the Sweet Water Lake, situated close to the beach, along with her husband.
An official said the alleged incident took place on Thursday (June 2). However, the middle-aged British 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. Within an hour of receiving the complaint, the Pernem Police—led by inspector Vikram Naik—swung into action and arrested the accused.
An FIR was registered against the accused under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code. The police were to produce D'Souza before a local court seeking custody on Monday. On Monday, the accused and the survivor were sent for medical exams at the district hospital in Mapusa near Panaji. Deputy Superintendent of Police (Pernem) Siddhant Shirodkar is supervising the investigation into the case.
The accused was reportedly a part of a group that illegally offers massage services near Arambol beach in the North Goa district. According to the police, he had also worked as a librarian at a school in past. "We have contacted the police station concerned to get his past records. Currently, he is not working as a librarian," a senior police official told NDTV.
