MAPUSA
More than 36 hours after a four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in Mapusa, police are yet to arrest the accused, even as a disturbing revelation has emerged that the suspect was known to the victim’s family and was reportedly staying with them.
According to police sources, the accused was an acquaintance of the girl's father and was engaged in the business of selling balloons along with him.
The suspect had accompanied the girl's father and another person to Mapusa on Sunday, when the alleged assault took place.
The incident occurred inside a dilapidated building adjoining Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Garden on a night when the town was celebrating Diwali.
Police sources said the group had spent the day selling balloons before sitting along the road opposite the taxi stand and consuming alcohol.
An argument reportedly broke out among them, following which the accused went to fetch more liquor.
When he returned, another argument escalated into a physical altercation. During the commotion, the third person accompanying them was allegedly hit by a passing vehicle, triggering chaos as the group scattered.
The girl's father also dropped his bag while fleeing.
Sometime later, the accused allegedly returned, picked up a bedsheet lying on the road and told the child that he would take her to her father.
Instead, he allegedly took her to the nearby abandoned building, sexually assaulted her and fled, leaving her behind.
Mapusa police have deployed several teams to track down the accused, with search operations underway across Goa and neighbouring Maharashtra. Statements of the victim's father and the other person accompanying the group have been recorded.
Police sources said a few suspects had been detained for questioning, but investigators were yet to identify the accused.
Mapusa PI Anant Gaonkar said the suspect's movements were difficult to track as he did not ordinarily carry a mobile phone.
“The person involved in the crime is an outsider and does not move around with a mobile phone. So, it becomes a little difficult to track him. But our team is on the job and we will soon nab the culprit,” Gaonkar said.
Meanwhile, the delay in arresting the accused has triggered public outrage, with Opposition leaders and civil society groups demanding swift action.
