PANAJI
A 23-year-old labourer, who abducted and nearly killed a four-and-half-year old girl on a hill at Morlem-Sattari, has been arrested within 12 hours of the offence. The man, identified as Ramsevak Thakur alias Golu confessed to the crime during a questioning of around 10 suspects who were rounded up after a missing person’s complaint was filed by the mother.
The girl, found in a seriously injured condition was rushed to the Sanquelim health centre from where she was shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital. Valpoi PI Rahul Naik said the victim’s condition is stable and the accused is arrested for the offence under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 363 (kidnapping) of IPC, and Section 8 of Goa Children’s Act.
“Several teams were formed and tasked to build specific leads with the investigation (to the missing person’s complaint). Various angles were probed to zero in on the accused, several suspects were interrogated and a combing operation of the entire area was launched. One of these suspects confessed that he intentionally took the minor to a hill where he hit a stone on her head,” PI Naik said.
While the motive behind the crime is being ascertained, the accused is said to be the neighbour of the complainant staying at Deulwada (Morlem, Sattari). Thakur and the victim’s parents “ hailing from neighbouring Karnataka “ are co-workers at a laterite stone quarry in the area.
“Thakur confessed that around 6:30 pm on Monday, he intentionally took the victim from her rented room to the crime spot, over 500 steps from the ground. He assaulted her with a stone on her head causing her bleeding injuries and left her at that spot in injured condition,” the officer said, adding that the police teams found the toddler in an unconscious state in the bushes under a cashew tree.
It is learnt that the accused, during the initial questioning claimed that he had murdered the victim prompting a frantic search by the police. On locating the minor girl, the cops found she was breathing and soon shifted her to the Sanquelim health centre. An FIR was thereafter registered and Thakur will be produced before the local Court on Wednesday for police remand.
