Mumbai, March 16
A 27-year-old female German tourist was molested on an isolated beach in Goa late Friday night, according to a police complaint filed by the victim. Pressing immediately into action Goa home minister Ravi Naik has called a high-level meeting of police officials to discuss rising incidents of crime against foreigners in the state. The incident comes close on the heels of the murder of British tourist Scarlett Keeling and has put the police on the back foot. Police sources told The Tribune that it was the fifth such incident in 2008 where a foreign women tourist was assaulted in the state.
The police said the complainant accompanied by another lady friend was holidaying on the isolated beach of Cavellossim-Zalor in South Goa when the incident occurred. The area famous for the Leela Palace Hotel is located on a sparsely populated locality with dense vegetation.
The woman said she and her friend were strolling along the beach when she decided to swim in the shallow waters. While her friend stood some distance away, the complainant slipped into the sea. However, shortly afterwards a man pounced on her and tried to pull off her swim wear, the tourist said in her complaint. After she raised an alarm the man escaped into the forests nearby, she added.
Shortly after the woman filed her complaint the police released a sketch of te accused as described by the woman. Under pressure due to the botched handling of the Scarlett Keeling case, the police are leaving no stone unturned to produce results.
