In a shocking incident, four men posing as policemen at Goa’s Benaulim Beach allegedly raped two minor girls on Sunday, 25 July.
Two days after the incident, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant – under pressure from the Opposition over the gang rape – said parents must introspect on why their children were on the beach late at night.
The police have arrested the four accused – 21-year-old Asif Hateli, 33-year-old Rajesh Mane, 31-year-old Gajanand Chinchankar, and 19-year-old Nitin Yabbal. Of these, Rakesh Mane is believed to be a government servant.
The accused had threatened to upload photos of the incident on social media platforms if they weren’t paid Rs 65,000, according to The Times of India.
The accused have been booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Goa Children's Act and have been remanded in four days of police custody.
The case, which was earlier being supervised by South Superintendent of Police Pankaj Kumar Singh and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Margao) Harish Madkaikar, has now been been transferred to the Women’s Police Station. Deputy SP Ezilda D'Souza will be investigating the case.
The Quint spoke to D'souza who said that she will be able to make a comment only when the investigation is complete.