Girl escapes molestation bid
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
CALANGUTE, AUG 29
A minor girl escaped molestation bid at Saligao-Pilerne late Saturday evening.
According to sources, the incident occurred when the girl along with her uncle was waiting at an LPG agency godown to collect a refill at Saligao-Pilerne.
Though the uncle-niece duo reached the godwon at 3.30 pm, they waited in vain till 8 pm, as the agency personnel did not turn up to release the refill till then.
As the pair was waiting at the godwon, four Indian tourists, in a taxi, stopped by to make some inquiries with the girl’s uncle, at around 8 pm.
While the girl’s uncle was answering queries from one tourist, another grabbed the girl and tried to pull her in. Luckily, a truck happened to pass by the route then; fearing for their lives, the tourists, who had their number plate removed, made good their escape.
The uncle-niece duo refused to file a police complaint since they have to come to the same place for refill of gas cylinder.
However, the girl’s uncle blamed the gas agency for the molestation bid.
“It’s not just today, everyday is the same story. We are asked to be at the godown for delivery of cylinder at 3.30 pm and they don’t turn up till 7.30 pm or late. Nobody seems to be bothered to do anything about it,” said a parent.
Another villager, who was stranded from 4 pm onwards for a gas cylinder, said: “This is the fourth time and today also I have to go back without the refill.”
“The owner should at least fix a particular time to open the godown so that we don’t have to wait and spend our entire day as though we have no other work to do,” said the villager.
“This is a waste of time and money. The gas agency is supposed to give us home delivery, but they do not bother to give so,” said a villager.
Some villagers who had come for the refill of gas cylinders were seen stranded at the godown site despite the heavy rains.
However, efforts to contact the gas agency owner proved futile.
