Season begins in Goa with a rape

Even as the tourist season in Goa gets underway, the administration has been jolted by the news of rape of a Swiss tourist at a South Goa be...

Even as the tourist season in Goa gets underway, the administration has been jolted by the news of rape of a Swiss tourist at a South Goa beach on Sunday.

The 23-year-old was residing in a hotel at Sernabhati and was on her way to the adjoining beach at Benaulim when she was raped. The incident has set alarm bells ringing as it coincides with the start of the tourist season. About 600 Britishers have arrived in the state over the weekend.

Refusing to comment, Deputy DGP, Karnal Singh said the incident did not happen within his jurisdiction. He said South Goa SP Indra Kumar Shukla would be able to provide details. Shukla remained unavailable for comment. The victim, who is leaving Goa tomorrow, has named two local persons in her complaint. Sernabhatim beach witnessed another rape case involving a foreign media person in 2000. Thirteen rape cases involving both foreign nationals and locals were recorded in last year.

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In January 2000, after a British tourist was gangraped, the British foreign office issued a circular warning its nationals to avoid Goan beaches. This had provoked strong protests from the state government. Later, giving into demands, the police had put out circulars warning tourists, especially young women, to avoid walking alone on beaches at odd hours.

Areas around fishing hamlets like Baga and Calangute have become infamous for crimes against tourists. Police also claim that incidence of crime sometimes gets exaggerated such as when tourists report theft to claim insurance back home.

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MANALI: A deaf and dumb Tibetan girl was raped by two youths near a tourist resort in Manali, police said on Monday. The two youth picked up the girl from a slum in Bahang at around 9 pm on Saturday and took her to a hotel where they raped her, they said. They dropped her near her slum on Sunday morning. The matter was reported to police and the accused have been arrested, police said. (PTI)

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