Team Herald
CALANGUTE/MAPUSA: Four rape cases of minors reported at two police stations – two filed at Saligao and two others registered at Colvale police station kept the men in uniform on toes during the weekend hunting for abusers of innocent children.
While two accused are on the first case are on the run, three others involved in the heinous Colvale case have been arrested.
The Saligao police registered two cases of rape of minors over the weekend.
In one case, the victim, a 15-year-old student in December developed relations through social media with an unemployed person, identified as Sunil Naik, a resident of Candolim. Naik allegedly sexually assaulted her on February 18, following which she became pregnant.
When her father came to know of her condition, he immediately approached the police and registered a case against Naik on Friday.
In another case registered on Saturday in Saligao, a 17-year-old girl from Chattisgarh had come to Goa to stay with her parents came in contact with a person, identified as Vashim, through a vegetable vendor, Ramesh.
Vashim allegedly sexually assaulted her on March 31, leading to a pregnancy. When the parents came to know of her condition, they approached a doctor to abort the child. Since the girl was a minor, the doctor informed the police. Saligao police have registered an offence against both Ramesh and Vashim and efforts are on to trace them.
Two other rape cases of minors being raped have been registered at the Colvale police station. Police stated that the two girls, aged 12 and 16 – both neighbours got in touch with the three accused who lured them via social networking sites and promised the children of a luxurious life in Nepal. The victims were then taken to Hubli from where they were rescued by the Mapusa police where they were locked up in a secluded house.
The victims then narrated their sad tale of woe to the police and disclosed they were sexually assaulted by their kidnappers several times before they were rescued.
Based on the statement, another accused Vikas Mukhiya, (19), presently residing at Bicholim and native of Bihar has been arrested and is presently in police custody.
This takes the total arrests in the case to three with the police earlier arresting Naveed Ahmad Paniband resident of Tippunagar, Nekarnagar road and Tousif Killedar @ Munna resident of Dharwad Karnataka.
Since the victims are minors and victims of sexual abuse, stringent sections of POCSO Act have also been added into the crime.
It can be recalled that the Colvale police team under rescued two minor girls and solved a kidnapping case within 48 hours. The girls were rescued from Hubli where they were locked in a house.
