PANAJI: Goa tourism minister Rohan Khaunte on Friday condemned the attack on a Dutch tourist at the resort and stressed that the hotel staffer who came to her rescue reflected the kind of people that Goans were.
“It is a very serious issue. As we condemn the incident, it is also important to compliment the local boy, who neglected his safety and tried to save the woman. This shows exactly what Goans are and the extent to which they will go to save a tourist is exemplified in what Eurico has done, by putting his own life at risk,” Khaunte said, adding that he will meet the tourist who was attacked.
The Goa Police have arrested Abhishek Verma, a 27-year-old from Uttarakhand capital Dehradun who worked as a bartender at the Yoga retreat resort in north Goa’s Mandrem, for the attack on the night intervening March 28-29. A first information report has been filed by the Pernem police under sections 452 (trespass with intent to assault), 354 (sexual assault), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
“At around 2am during the night, the tourist noticed someone standing in her tent and she immediately screamed. On hearing her scream, the assailant grabbed her and held her mouth and threatened her,” North Goa superintendent of police (SP) Nidhin Valsan said.
On hearing her screams, another staff of the resort Eurico Dias, 31 came to her aid and rescued the victim. However, the assailant went to the kitchen and returned with a knife. He stabbed the tourist and Eurico Dias and fled from the spot.
As news of the attack emerged on Friday – this was the second such attack on a tourist involving a hotel staffer – chief minister Pramod Sawant issued instructions to hotels to only hire people who are registered with the labour department or have police verification.
On March 24, two staffers at another hotel in north Goa’s Morjim were arrested for assaulting a Russian tourist in her room after an attempted robbery went awry. In her complaint to the police, Aigul Davletianova alleged that the two men entered her room through the window at about 3am. When they realised she was awake, one of them held her down while the other tried to stop her from screaming for help leading to some injuries. They eventually fled.
“During the investigation, all the staff working at the Morjim Grand Inn were rounded up and after meticulous interrogation, suspects namely Abinash Goria, 29, working as a waiter and Mohammed Khan, 26, who was working as an electrician in the said hotel confessed to committing the crime. Both have been arrested,” Nidhin Valsan said.
Police said a meeting of resort owners will be convened soon to brief them on a new protocol of mandatory police verification of all staff.
“We will be calling the hotel owners to sensitise them about the rules to mandatorily seek police verification of staffers they seek to employ at their resort,” the police officer said.