9-year-old Russian girl molested in Goa

Meanwhile, with Russia hinting at issuing a travel advisory on Goa following the incident, the Centre moved in quickly to contain the negative fallout and asked for a detailed report on the issue.

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told Deccan Herald that Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja called him on Wednesday to enquire about the case and he had assured her of sending a factual report soon.

Kamat said this was not an incident of rape. “The child was on the beach playing with some people right in front of her mother. The police have told me that this is not an incident of rape,” he said.

Pernem police inspector Uttam Raut Desai said the suspects spoke a mix of broken English and Hindi to the Russian tourist.

He said they were most likely domestic tourists.

A case has been registered under Section 376 read with 5(11) (attempt to rape) of the IPC and Section 8(2) (grave sexual assault) of the Goa Children’s Act, the police said.

The police are yet to zero in on any definitive suspects.

Vikram Varma, lawyer for the Russian consulate, said the child was on the beach with her mother on Tuesday evening when two Indian men approached them. While one of them engaged the mother in a conversation, the other took the kid behind a rock, where he molested her. He said medical examination has confirmed forceful entry with a finger and injury to the vagina.

The Russian couple from Moscow had travelled here a month ago. While the husband flew back on Monday, the mother decided to extend their holiday by another week.
“Understandably the child is traumatised and they are extremely upset,” said Varma. The fact they spoke little English made matters worse. After her daughter told her what had happened, the mother returned to the hotel to look for help. The complaint was registered later in the night.

Expressing outrage, Russia has demanded strict and efficient” measures immediately by India to ensure the safety of its citizens, failing which it will issue advisory to its tourists to refrain from visiting Goa. In a strongly worded statement, the Russian embassy said: “We are shocked and deeply outraged by the reports about the disgusting incident in India’s well-known resort in Goa. The embassy reiterates its grave concern over the growth of criminal cases against Russians in Goa.”