Police fire in air; constables injured, 3 jeeps, furniture damaged
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Police fired in the air and burst tear gas shells as a 1000-strong irate crowd stormed the Colva police station over the kidnapping of a minor girl from Benaulim by tourists from Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Sunday evening.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohan Naik said three rounds were fired in the air to stop the agitated mob from entering the police station to lay their hands on the eight accused tourists.
Three police jeeps were damaged by the irate crowd – one at Benaulim and two at the Colva police station – while two police constables were left injured in the incident. Police Inspector Uttam Raut Dessai, Sub Inspector Melson Fernandes and other policemen sustained minor injuries. The furniture inside the police station was also damaged.
Local residents said they managed to lay their hands on the accused persons, which later led to the rescue of the
victim girl, while the police later booked all eight persons for kidnapping under provisions of the Goa Children’s Act.
Trouble erupted at Benaulim Voltar around 3.30 pm when the tourists kidnapped a minor girl(14 years) when she was reportedly heading for tuition, triggering an uproar. Fortunately, a local resident had spotted the tourists taking the girl and noted down the registration number of the two-wheelers, which later helped to trace the accused.
Benaulim ward panch David Fernandes said the incident occurred at around 3.30 pm when the mother of the victim girl was crying for help following the kidnapping of her daughter. “When I reached the spot, a local person told me that one of the accused has taken the girl, while two of the accused have headed towards Varca. Based on the information and the registration numbers, we proceeded towards Varca, only to find two of the accused on the way. We forced them to call up their accomplices on the phone and they gave their location on the beach”, David recalled.
In the meantime, agitated local residents of Benaulim assembled at the spot and stopped the police from taking one of the accused to the police station. Saying they have no faith in the police force given their utter failure in detecting rape cases, they demanded that the police first bring the girl and the remaining accused at the spot. They demanded to know how the police could take the accused to the police station when the people have helped nab him. Hectic discussions ensued between residents and the police before the mob stoned the police jeep.
As the scene shifted to the Colva police station, a strong mob descended outside demanding that the accused be handed over to them. Some persons managed to enter the police station and lay their hands on the accused persons who were holed up inside the computer room. It is learnt that one of the accused managed to flee from the police station and made his entry into a building, but was nabbed by the irate crowd and given a sound thrashing before the police took him in their custody.
District police chief Shekar Prabhdudessai told newsmen that the Margao deputy superintendent ordered the police to burst tear gas shells and lathi charge as the mob tried to barge inside the police station premises. Briefing newsmen, the district police chief said that the police had to fire in the air to bring the situation under control. “The eight tourists from Indore, Madhya Pradesh had come down to Colva beach. They forcibly took away the minor girl from Benaulim, who was later rescued from the beach and the accused arrested. We are investigating the case”, he said.
All eight accused persons, who sustained injuries, were later sent to the Hospicio hospital for medical examination. Prabhudessai said they will be booked for kidnapping and under provisions of the Goa Children’s Act. Benaulim legislator Caitu Silva, Nuvem legislator Mickky Pacheco, and Curtorim legislator Reginaldo Lourenco were present at the Colva police station to help bring the situation under control.
District Collector, N D Agrawal, Additional Collector, Sandhya Kamat, Sub-divisional Magistrate, Surendra Naik, Executive Magistrate John Fernandes were all seen camping at the police station. Additional police reinforcements were brought from other police stations in South Goa.
The district police chief said the situation is well under control and there was no incident of any untoward incident later in the evening.
