Police in Mapusa are investigating the alleged rape of a three- to four-year-old girl inside an abandoned building near Lohia Ground on Diwali night, after the injured child was found by motorcycle pilots and taken for medical treatment. Police have detained a couple of suspects, reviewed CCTV footage and collected forensic samples from the site, but the person suspected of committing the assault had not been traced when the report was published.
The child, who belongs to a family of balloon sellers, was shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital. She was reportedly found after emerging from the building crying, about an hour and a half after motorcycle pilots first saw a man leading her towards the area. The pilots initially assumed that the man was a family member because balloon sellers commonly move through the area with children during the festive season.
Pundalik Neurekar, one of the motorcycle pilots, told the Times of India that the child was crying as she walked with the man. One pilot called out to him to take care of her, but those present did not initially suspect that she was in danger. A pilot later noticed the child coming out of the abandoned building and kept her with the group while they tried to calm her.
A woman working at a nearby tailoring shop gave the child a cloth after noticing her. The pilots then saw blood on her and alerted the police, according to the report. The incident highlights the immediate safety risks posed by unused and unsecured structures in active urban areas, particularly where public movement, informal work and commercial activity overlap.
A Mapusa police team searched the area around 4 am but did not locate the accused at that stage. A forensic team collected samples from the building on Monday morning. Investigators also obtained CCTV footage from shops in Mapusa market and nearby areas to identify the man and reconstruct his movements.
Another motorcycle pilot, Mangaldas Gawas, described the man as wearing a jacket and carrying a backpack. He said the man did not appear to be from the surrounding area. This description remains part of the witness account and has not, in the supplied report, been independently confirmed by police.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant said the government would ensure strict action and that the accused would be kept permanently behind bars if convicted. Tribal welfare minister Ramesh Tawadkar claimed that 90% of similar crimes in Goa are committed by people who come from outside the state. The report did not provide data supporting that claim, and the allegation should not be treated as an established crime pattern.
Tawadkar also said people could not be prevented from coming to Goa to earn a livelihood. The immediate investigation remains focused on identifying the accused, examining the CCTV footage and completing the forensic and medical processes. Police action and further updates will determine the next steps in the case.
