MARGAO
The accused in the British woman rape case is back in the Goa police custody after he was nabbed by a State police team in Karnataka.
He was spotted driving a tractor in the fields in village Jigani near Tamil Nadu.
The Goa police team headed by Margao PI Tushar Lotlikar, PSI Sagar Dhatkar and police constables Goraknath Gawas and Anup Kavrekar brought the accused Ramchandran Yellappa to Margao from Bengaluru city.
PI Tushar and police constable Goraknath have sustained injuries after they pounced on the accused while he tried to flee on a two-wheeler. The accused too sustained injuries.
District police chief, SP Arvind Gawas, informed that the Goa police team headed by PI Tushar Lotlikar was sent to Bengaluru following information that the accused person was seen in Jigani village of Karnataka in the jurisdiction of Bannergatta police station, about 30 kms from Bengaluru city, near the Tamil Nadu border.
“The team maintained surveillance as further information revealed that the accused was seen driving a tractor in the fields,” he added.
SP Gawas informed that the team developed the information about the accused with the assistance of local police and on July 15 the team received reliable information that the accused was moving on a red-colour Activa scooter at Begalli village, about six kms from Bannergatta police station.
“No sooner the team received this information, a private vehicle was arranged in search of the accused. At around 7.30 pm, the accused was seen moving on the Activa scooter in Begalli village. The team chased him for a distance of about two kilometres and after confirming his identity, he was intercepted,” SP Gawas described.
“On noticing the vehicle of the police team, he became suspicious and attempted to accelerate his scooter to flee away. At this time, a member of the team jumped out from the moving vehicle on the accused, and sustained injuries, but eventually managed to apprehend the accused person,” he added.
Police believe that the accused after escaping from the custody of the escort party had left for Karnataka by a truck, even though the accused has claimed that he had headed to the neighbouring state by train.
The team has been rewarded by Director General of Police for the excellent work in tracing and apprehending the rape accused against whom a case is on in the Sessions Court, Margao, for committing rape on a British woman at Palolem.
SP Gawas said the accused is also involved in burglary cases at Pernem, Canacona and Vasco and in different parts of the country.
