Team Herald
MARGAO: “Forgive and forget” proved too costly for the mother of the four-and-a-half years old child who was raped by her own grandfather as the mother preferred to forget how badly her father had treated her mother and family and gave him shelter at her matrimonial house.
The man treated his wife and children badly and was not living with the family for many years and the mother used to live in rented apartments wherever she could get a job to look after her children.
The eldest daughter had married and was living with her husband in Salcete and her father used to live in Ilhas in the flat the family had as he had the key to it. However, as his meals were becoming a problem, the daughter asked him to live with her at her matrimonial house where she was living with her parents-in-law and her daughter.
On the day of the incident, apparently there was nobody at home as the girl had gone to drop her husband’s aunt to her house and then was stuck at a pharmacy where she went to procure some medicines.
The incident reportedly happened between 4 pm and 6 pm during the time when there was nobody at home and when the daughter reached home, she found her child very quiet. However, the child did call her mother saying she wanted to tell her something.
The child reportedly took the mother aside and told her that the grandfather had placed her on his lap and was playing on the “top floor”. The mother consulted her mother-in-law who suggested that a police complaint need not be lodged as the old man had only played as the child did not explain what the playing was all about.
However, two days later when the mother-in-law and the child’s mother were talking and the topic came about the grandfather, the child sternly said that he should be sent away and that she did not like him.
Perturbed with the behavior the duo prodded and that is when the child explained what had happened and how the grandfather had lowered her panty. The child’s mother immediately contacted her husband who is working abroad and got his consent to lodge a police complaint.
However, getting wind of what is happening, the grandfather fled from the house even before the complaint could be lodged. Maina Curtorim police acted promptly in the matter and dispatched police personnel to North Goa where he used to live in the flat and nabbed the culprit who is currently in the lock up.
Auda Viegas of Bailancho Ekvott, the NGO roped in by the police to help in this case was all praise for PSI Alvito of Maina Curtorim police who acted promptly to nab the culprit. She expressed concern over the growing number of such cases in Goa in recent times.
Meanwhile, the child’s mother has cautioned parents of the child in the flat in North Goa where her father used to live, not to allow her father to interact with their child.
