Goa Police Arrest Two Men in Separate Cases of Alleged Sexual Assault of Four-Year-Old Girls

PANAJI, November 12: Goa Police have arrested two men in connection with separate cases involving the alleged sexual assault of four-year-old girls, with investigators relying on CCTV recordings, witness accounts and local intelligence to make the arrests.

In the North Goa case, a 28-year-old migrant worker from Karnataka was apprehended on Wednesday morning, several days after a minor girl went missing and was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted.

In a separate incident in South Goa, police arrested a 24-year-old man from Bihar on allegations of sexually assaulting another four-year-old girl.

CCTV footage provides breakthrough in North Goa investigation

The first incident came to light after a four-year-old girl, whose father works as a daily-wage labourer, disappeared from her neighbourhood at around 6 pm on Sunday.

According to the police investigation, the accused allegedly took the child away between 8 pm and 9.30 pm, brought her to the basement of a building and sexually assaulted her.

With no immediate identification of the suspect, investigators initially faced what police described as a blind case.

The investigation gained momentum after officers examined CCTV recordings from the locality and questioned residents and other people who might have witnessed the movements of the child and the suspect.

North Goa Superintendent of Police Rahul Gupta said footage from surveillance cameras provided an important clue.

One recording allegedly showed the suspect approaching the girl and enticing her towards a narrow lane where the crime is believed to have taken place.

Another significant lead emerged from an altercation near a taxi stand on the same evening.

The victim’s father, the child and some acquaintances had reportedly been present in the vicinity when a minor dispute broke out.

Police questioned people connected with the incident and gradually identified the suspected offender.

The accused allegedly had no mobile phone or digital trail

Investigators subsequently learnt that the suspect did not use a mobile phone and had virtually no digital presence, making conventional electronic tracking difficult.

According to SP Gupta, the man spoke only Kannada and was frequently seen around the market and bus stand areas of Mapusa. Police also learnt that he had been moving around the area near a bus stand while attempting to evade detection.

Multiple teams from the district police and Crime Branch were deployed to search crowded commercial locations, transport hubs and railway stations across Goa.

The operation eventually led officers to a bus stand in Panaji, where the accused was arrested at approximately 7.30 am on Wednesday.

He was subsequently presented before a local court, which authorised five days of police custody for further questioning.

Police have also seized a bag allegedly belonging to the accused from the suspected crime scene, along with the victim’s frock and a blanket. These items are expected to form part of the evidence being examined during the investigation.

An FIR has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Goa Children’s Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Second four-year-old girl allegedly assaulted in South Goa

In a separate case, police arrested a 24-year-old man from Bihar following allegations that he sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl in South Goa.

The alleged incident occurred on Tuesday night, between approximately 9.30 pm and 10 pm, inside a rented room.

Police said the accused lived in the same neighbourhood and allegedly persuaded the child to accompany him to the room before sexually assaulting her.

The matter came to the attention of the police after the girl’s father lodged a complaint. Investigators recorded the child’s statement and arranged for her medical examination as part of the legal procedure.

Goa Police confirmed the arrest in a statement issued on Wednesday. The investigation into the second incident is also underway.

The two cases have brought renewed attention to child safety and the need for vigilance in residential neighbourhoods. Police investigations are continuing in both matters.