TEAM HERALD
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PERNEM: A foreign tourist was seriously injured, while some children escaped with minor injuries when a group of about 20 people armed with weapons disrupted the New Year party at two hotels at Gawdewada-Morjim beach late Monday night.
The incident took place at 12 am when the revelers were busy ushering in the new year. As the guests were enjoying, a group of about 20 goons armed with soda bottles, sticks, stones and a katta (home-made pistol) barged into Hotel Club Fresh. Sources informed that the vandals had covered their faces with black caps and took advantage of the darkness and fireworks and attacked the tourists.
The accused also damaged the sound system. The estimated property loss is about Rs 5 to 6 lakh .
The injured tourist was rushed to a private hospital at Mapusa. Sources further informed that the hotel bouncers caught some of the goons, but one of them removed his pistol and started firing shots in the air and they fled under the cover of darkness.
The goons also damaged another neighbouring hotel belonging to one Nitin from Pune.
Both hotel owners, Sunil Chawla and Nitin, later filed a police complaint against unidentified persons who disrupted their New Year party and damaged hotel property.
Speaking to Herald at his hotel, Chawla, the owner of Club Fresh Hotel, said: “The party was very important to me, but I lost everything in the incident. There were many high-profile people along with their families, who ran away after the incident,” said Chawla.
“I am doing this business in Goa since the last four years, but such an incident never took place. This incident of vandalism will spoil Goa’s image in tourism,” he added.
Zilla Panchayat member Deepak Kalangutkar claimed that goons were hired from neighbouring area, to spoil tourism business on the Pernem coast as many high-profile tourists visit Morjim and Mandrem beaches.
Locals say many hotel owners, despite restrictions by the Pernem deputy collector organise late night parties along the Morjim-Mandrem coastline.
Some people said due to the disturbance, the party was disrupted. But Chawla said they were not local people, but outsiders.
No arrests have been made so far. A senior police officer also visited the site to take stock of the situation.
