Dutch tourist molested, stabbed at Goa resort; Staff arrested

The accused resort staff also attacked a local who came to the female tourist's rescue after listening to her screams, police said.

A 29-year-old Dutch woman was allegedly molested and stabbed by a resort staffer in Goa hours after she arrived for a yoga retreat in the state. The incident took place in north Goa's Pernem town.

The accused has been identified as Abhishek Verma who trespassed into the rented tent where the woman was staying. (File)

According to police, as quoted by the news agency ANI, the accused has been identified as Abhishek Verma who trespassed into the rented tent where the woman was staying. According to The Indian Express, the 27-year-old accused hails from Uttarakhand and was working at the resort for around two years now.

The police also informed that a local, who went to the woman's rescue after listening to her loud screams, was also stabbed by the accused. "When she (the tourist) started to scream for help, one local person came to rescue her from the accused and seeing his presence, accused ran away, after that accused person returned back with the knife and assaulted local person with a knife who had come to rescue and further assaulted the complainant with a knife and fled away from the spot," Nidhin Valsan, superintendent of police, said as quoted by ANI.

According to The Indian Express, the traveller was learnt to have told the police that she arrived in the state after visiting Rajasthan and Mumbai. She added that after having dinner, she went to sleep inside the tent which didn't have doors. Around 2 am, she woke up after someone switched on the light and saw a man was trying to remove the mosquito net around her bed.

She further added that upon screaming the man was warning her to shut up or he would kill her. She then bit him hard after he tried to put his finger inside her mouth. Another man entered the entered after she screamed for help and a fight between two men ensued. The accused ran away to fetch a kitchen knife and returned. After stabbing the person who came for help, he attacked the woman. She overpowered the accused and manage to snatch the knife from him.

She was then rushed to the hospital with the help of another foreign national and some locals. She suffered multiple injuries on her upper back. Both complainant and the local person are being treated, Valsan said.

A week ago, two staff members of a hotel were arrested from north Goa area for allegedly assaulting a Russian woman, according to police as quoted by PTI. Similarly, a group of tourists from Mumbai was also attacked with swords and knives in the state's Anjuna area followed by a minor altercation at a resort.