Man held for raping British woman in Goa sent to police custody

The man arrested for allegedly raping a 48-year-old British woman in south Goa was Friday produced before a local court which remanded him in police custody till January 2.

The accused, Ramchandran Y, allegedly raped the woman and also robbed her when she was on way to the Palolem beach in Canacona in the wee hours of Thursday, police had said.

The 31-year-old, a native of Tamil Nadu, was arrested within hours of the crime, they said, adding an ATM card of the woman was also recovered from his possession.

Ramchandran was produced before a court in South Goa and sent in police custody till January 2, Canacona Police Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai said.

The accused had followed the British tourist when she was walking towards her hotel room near the popular beach, Prabhudesai said.

He dragged the woman to a nearby paddy field and raped her, said Prabhudesai, quoting from her complaint.

The accused then ran away from the spot with her belongings, including bags, the inspector said.

A medical examination was conducted on the victim, he said, without providing details.

"The accused, who had fled from Canacona after the incident, was arrested from Margao town, 60km from Panaji," he said.

He was also wanted in connection with a robbery case at Pernem town in North Goa, Prabhudesai said.

He has confessed to his involvement in the rape and robbery at Canacona, the police officer said.