Team Herald
PANJIM: The Panjim police arrested Gloan Pednekar, 27, a resident of Tonca- Caranzalem, for allegedly sexually harassing a woman on February.
According to the police, Pednekar, a habitual offender with multiple cases of stalking, sexual harassment, and robbery against him, was apprehended in Belagavi, Karnataka, after fleeing Goa following the incident.
The offence occurred at approximately 10.30 pm near a restaurant in Patto, Panjim, where Pednekar allegedly masturbated while riding a two-wheeler and made lewd remarks towards the victim, who was also on a two-wheeler with a friend.
The woman later raised the issue on social media and formally lodged a complaint with the police. Following this, Panjim Police registered a case and formed a dedicated team under the supervision of Superintendent of Police (North Goa) Akshat Kaushal, IPS, to track down and arrest the accused. The investigation team included SDPO Panjim Sudesh Naik, IPS Probationer Arun Balgotra, and PI Vijay Chodankar, among others.
After committing the offence, Pednekar went into hiding in an attempt to evade arrest. However, police investigations led to the discovery of his location in Belagavi. A team was dispatched to Karnataka, where he was successfully apprehended and brought back to Panjim Police Station on March 2.
Further investigation has revealed that Pednekar has a criminal history, having previously been booked for house trespass, theft, assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, stalking, sexual harassment, and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.