A day after he called five youngsters, accused of gangraping two women tourists from Delhi "naive", Goa tourism minister Dilip Parulekar on Friday, suggested that the gangrape could be a "stunt".
In an interview to a local cable news channel on Friday, Parulekar that such minor incident happen in places where tourism flourishes.
"Facts and figures (about the case) have not come out yet. What is their connection (between the accused and the victims), or whether this is a stunt is not clear yet," Parulekar said in an interview to InGoa News, a local cable news channel.
"There are no Goan boys involved in this. Goans have not done this. They are boys from outside and even the girls are from Delhi," Parulekar also said, while asking the media to play down the controversy because both the accused and victims were not locals.
Five people were arrested on Tuesday for posing as policemen and then abducting, beating and sexually assaulting two young women tourists from Delhi.
The victims told the police that they had been raped through Monday night and Tuesday before a police team rescued them.
{{/usCountry}}The victims told the police that they had been raped through Monday night and Tuesday before a police team rescued them.
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the incident on Thursday Parulekar had said: "The boys are nadaan (naive) and they have small crimes registered against them and this will not happen in the future."
"I have said it earlier, I am saying it again, wherever tourism activity flourishes such minor incidents happen,a Parulekar said.