Panaji: Goa Police on Wednesday achieved a breakthrough in the alleged rape case involving a three-year-old girl in Mapusa town, North Goa, by arresting a man from Karnataka who was allegedly found hiding in Panaji, an officer said.
The arrest comes amid another shocking incident involving the alleged rape of a minor reported in the state. A four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at Shristhal village in Canacona taluka of Kushawati district late on Tuesday night. Police have arrested a Bihar native in connection with the second case.
Mapusa Police Inspector Anant Gaonkar told reporters on Wednesday that the accused in the Mapusa case has been identified as Pundalik Gudge, a native of Dharwad district in Karnataka.
The accused allegedly took the three-year-old girl to an abandoned building and raped her. He was subsequently traced and arrested after being found hiding in Panaji, Gaonkar said.
The alleged incident took place on Diwali night in Mapusa, triggering concerns over the safety of children in the state. Police had launched an investigation to trace the accused following the complaint.
In a separate incident, a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped at Shristhal village in Canacona taluka late on Tuesday night.
A senior police officer told PTI that the accused, who is in his mid-20s and a native of Bihar, was arrested soon after the incident was reported.
The accused had arrived in Goa just two days before the incident and was working at a local bakery, police said.
The officer said the identity of the accused in the Canacona case would be disclosed later on Wednesday, after recording the statements of the victim and her parents in the presence of an NGO.
