PANJIM: Old Goa Police arrested a native of Haveri in Karnataka, but residing at Curca, and on charges of raping a minor girl.
According to Old Goa Police Inspector Jivba Dalvi, police arrested Mohammed Rafik Patel, 31, for raping a 17-year-old girl.
He informed that the complaint was originally filed in South Goa and subsequently forwarded to Old Goa. The original case was filed for alleged kidnapping and during investigation of the kidnapping crime the victim girl had stated that in the month of November 2018 the accused had called her to his residence at Kalapur in Tiswadi and had forcible sexual intercourse due to which she is currently pregnant and after knowing about the pregnancy the accused stopped contacts with her. The accused was in friendly terms with the victim’s family.
Dalvi informed that upon receiving the complaint, police immediately registered an FIR under Section 376 of IPC, Section 8(2) of Goa Children’s Act and under Section 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
He further informed that the accused was immediately arrested within two hours of registering the FIR and has been remanded in police custody for five days. Further investigation is in progress with LPSI Veronica Coutinho under the supervision of PI Jivba Dalvi and SP North Utkrist Prasoon.
