Goa: British woman tourist raped near a beach; suspect held

A British woman tourist was allegedly raped Thursday at Canacona in Goa, with a man who was on the run after a jail-break being the prime suspect.

Police nabbed Ramchandran Y (31), native of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, at Margao, only to find that he was allegedly involved in the rape which had taken place a few hours earlier.

Ramchandran was on the run for almost a month after his arrest in a Rs 30 lakh robbery case at Pernem in North Goa district.

Police got an inkling that he could be involved in the rape when they found the complainant woman's ATM card in his possession, said an officer.

The woman, a 48-year-old British national, was raped at Canacona while on the way to Palolem beach in South Goa district in the wee hours of Thursday.

Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai of Canacona police said that Ramchandran was arrested in Margao town by the Pernem police who were looking for him since he escaped from jail.

"When he was arrested, Pernem police had not the slightest idea that he could be involved in the rape at Canacona," Prabhudesai said.

He was linked to the rape after the woman's ATM card was found in his possession, the police officer said.

According to the woman, around 4 am, when she was walking towards the Palolem beach, an unknown man dragged her to a paddy field and raped her and fled with her three bags.

The woman, who has been visiting Goa for the last ten years, said she wanted to catch a train at Thivim railway station, but as the train got delayed, she decided to return to the place near the Palolem beach where she was staying.

Canacona in South Goa is a tourism hub, featuring popular beaches such as Agonda and Palolem.