Police launch manhunt for murder accused spotted in forests

Goa Police have launched a manhunt for a murder accused, who has been spotted in the forests about 20km from here.

Ranjit Tuenkar, a middle-aged man, is wanted for the murder of a 19-year-old girl near Assagao, a village next to Mapusa town, 10km from here, in January, police said.

Tuenkar, who is on the run since then, also allegedly assaulted a 12-year-old girl and a boy in the areas around Siolim and Camurlim, a tourist belt, last month.

The reason behind the murder or the assault was not yet known, they said.

"Our teams are searching for him in the forests, where he was spotted by local villagers. Some days ago, we got information about his presence there, but he managed to escape before we reached," a senior police official told PTI.

Yesterday, a police team combed the area around Siolim village after it was found that the accused had taken shelter in a crematorium there during night time, but did not meet with any success.