BASURI DESAI
A 23-year old woman from Uttar Pradesh has accused a North Goa spa operator of raping her after alleg edly luring her to Goa on the promise of a job. She has further alleged that she was initially pressured not to pursue a complaint when she approached the police. The allegations have trig gered questions over the initial police response, even as the accused, Awadesh Rai, has since been arrest ed by Calangute Police af ter an FIR was eventually registered. Calangute Police arrested Awadesh Rai in connection with the case registered as FIR No 101/2026. The offence has been booked under Sections 316, 64, 127(2) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. According to the FIR, the complainant alleged that Rai induced her to travel to Goa on the false promise of employment, took her to a room, sexually assaulted her against her will, wrong fully confined her, and threatened to kill her if she attempted to leave.
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The FIR was registered at Calangute Police Station late on July 12, 2026, and the investi gation was entrusted to a woman sub-inspector. Speaking to O Heraldo, the survivor said she had arrived in Goa on July 10 after being called to work at one of the spas alleged ly operated by Rai in the Calangute-Candolim belt. She alleged that Rai had ar ranged accommodation for her at a hotel in Calangute and sexually assaulted her there on the night of July 10 despite her resistance. The victim claimed that she did not raise an alarm because she feared for her life and said the hotel was located away from the main market area. The woman further al leged that she went to Cal angute Police Station the following morning in an autorickshaw and narrated the incident to police per sonnel, including a woman officer. According to her, after some time, another woman, who allegedly in troduced herself as a law yer, arrived at the police station.
The complainant alleged that both women pressured her not to lodge a rape complaint and in stead asked her to sign a declaration stating that the sexual intercourse had been consensual. She alleged that she was told pursuing the matter would land her in trouble, force her to remain in Goa, and damage her reputation. The survivor also alleged that she was handed Rs 10,000 and that an air ticket to Lucknow was arranged for her. O Heraldo has seen a copy of the flight ticket. She further claimed that police personnel accompa nied her to the airport and returned her mobile phone only after she had boarded the flight.
According to the com plainant, during a layover in Mumbai, she contact ed her relatives, decided against continuing the jour ney, and returned to Goa to seek justice. “I don’t want these peo ple to simply rape poor women and then get help from the police. I want jus tice,” she told O Heraldo. “I was offered money, but I don’t want it. I cried the whole night, and no body came to help me,” she alleged. She further claimed that after returning to Goa, she tried to contact a senior po lice officer but was alleged ly told to call the emergency number because it was the officer’s sleeping time. The woman said she was frightened and unsure whom to approach for help. “After this, I was really scared to be in Goa. I did receive a call from the police station, but I wasn’t in a state to pursue the matter at that time,” she said.
Police subsequently registered the FIR and arrested Rai. The case is under investigation. O Heraldo has sought the Goa Police’s response to the complainant’s allegations that she was discouraged from filing a complaint and was facilitated out of the State. SDPO Mapusa II said the entire episode would be investigated thoroughly. “I am inquiring into the matter. If any lapses are found, they will be dealt with according to the rules,” he said.
