Tourists accused of harassing women were caught and detained at mul tiple beaches across Goa over the past week, follow ing prompt intervention by beach marshals and lifesav ers, with police action initi ated in several cases. At Baga beach, two sepa rate incidents involving for eign women tourists were reported. In one case, two male tourists from Telanga na, who appeared to be un der the influence of alcohol, allegedly harassed a foreign woman near the shoreline after she refused to take a selfie. One of the men re portedly attempted to put his arm around her and kiss her. Lifesavers intervened immediately and alerted beach marshal Laxmi Khol kar, who arrived with a po lice constable. The woman was escorted to a lifesaver tower, while the two men were detained and taken to the police station. Another complaint at Baga involved harassment of Russian women tourists by domestic tourists. Beach marshals intervened and informed the police. As the women chose not to lodge a formal complaint, the ac cused were issued a stern warning before being al lowed to leave. Similar action was re ported at Colva beach, where a group of seven to eight tourists from Karna taka were found filming and photographing Rus sian women without their consent. The men were in tercepted by lifesavers and marshals on patrol and lat er handed over to the police for further action. At Patnem beach, lifesav ers noticed a group of tour ists harassing and filming a couple without consent. The couple was escorted to safe ty at a nearby tower, while the police were alerted and arrived shortly thereafter. The accused tourists were detained and handed over for further action. Officials said the swift detection and follow-up in these cases was aided by the deployment of special ly trained beach marshals tasked with monitoring onshore conduct at ma jor beaches. The marshals patrol entry points and shoreline stretches and work alongside lifesavers to identify violations, doc ument incidents and coor dinate with police when required. Each marshal is equipped with a body camera and official communication equipment, allowing inter actions and incidents to be recorded and shared with authorities. Officials said this has helped support vic tim accounts, reduce ambi guity during follow-up and act as a deterrent against harassment and other pro hibited behaviour. Authorities said the ex panded deployment and use of technology is aimed at deterring misconduct, improving accountability and reinforcing safety for visitors, particularly wom en tourists, at Goa’s popular beaches. Apart from enforce ment-related incidents, marshals and lifesavers also responded to a range of safety and assistance calls during the period. At Calangute beach, a 23-year old tourist from Karnataka was treated after experi encing fainting symptoms, while another tourist from Chandigarh was shifted to the Candolim Primary Health Centre after sustain ing a head injury in a fall. A missing person com plaint at Benaulim beach was resolved after a 65-year-old tourist was traced at Varca beach and reunited with his family following police verifica tion. At Agonda beach, a lost mobile phone was re covered during patrol and returned to its owner after confirmation, while a for eign woman who sustained leg injuries while walking through a rocky stretch was administered first aid and advised medical consultation.
Tourists caught for harassing women across Goa beaches
