PANAJI: Verna police have arrested a 19-year-old for allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor girl from Zuarinagar. The accused, a native of Bijapur and a resident of Satara, was traced and apprehended after the girl was reported missing on May 19.
The case came to light when the police received a complaint on May 22 from the victim’s uncle, who suspected the accused, Mallappa Odi, of involvement in the girl’s disappearance. Acting swiftly, a team led by PSI Carey Fernandes, with assistance from the Umraj Police Station, located the accused and the victim in Satara. The pair was brought back to Goa on May 26.
The victim’s statement, recorded in the presence of an NGO, confirmed that she was subjected to sexual abuse. She was immediately sent for a medical examination, following which the accused was arrested and charged under multiple sections, including Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 8 of the Goa Children’s Act, Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), as well as Sections 4 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Odi was produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court on Monday and remanded to four days of police custody.
