Dismay of Danielle’s mother as another tourist raped in Goa
THE mother of Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin, who was raped and murdered in Goa, has expressed her dismay after a British tourist was raped in the same town – but insisted women should be able to travel alone.
In March last year, 28-yearold Danielle’s mutilated body was found in the desolate area of Devbagh in Canacona on the popular Indian holiday island.
She had been raped and beaten with a rock and broken bottles before being strangled and dumped on the road during Holi, a prominent Hindu festival.
Now police have revealed that another tourist, a 48-year-old British woman, was raped in Canacona in the early hours of Thursday morning while walking towards Palolem beach.
Danielle’s mum Andrea Brannigan expressed her disappointment, saying ‘nothing has changed in Goa’ 19 months on.
Andrea, from Donegal, added: ‘I feel for the victim. But Goa is like anywhere in the world. Women on their own are always a target – even in Ireland, women get hurt.
‘It is not the woman’s fault. They should be able to travel and go where they want without the worry of getting hurt.
‘Foreign tourists will always be a greater target because they stand out, but they still should be allowed to travel without the worry of being raped,’ she said.
Vikat Bhagat, a habitual offender who Danielle had befriended, was arrested and charged with her rape and murder, as well as theft and destruction of evidence, after allegedly confessing to the crime.
Andrea has never been to Goa for the trial hearings because she can’t afford to travel and due to the legal costs she has incurred.
The mother has been told Danielle’s case could go on for five years but says she is hopeful that she will get justice.
Andrea said: ‘I will never be able to grieve until the court proceedings finish. But I am hopeful that it will be shorter than that.’
Police said the 48-year-old woman raped this week had made a one-mile walk back to her guesthouse alone after her train was delayed. As she reached the Palolem beach, the attacker forced her to a paddy field on the roadside and struck her in the eye before raping her and robbing her of her three bags.
Police inspector Prashal Desai said the woman had been travelling in Goa for three weeks and had been regularly visiting the state for ten years.
South Goa’s Superintendent of Police, Arvind Gawas, has said two arrests had been made and that the investigation continues.
Goa, the second smallest state in India, lies in the west of the country and is noted for its scenic beaches. The island has been historically a popular tourist resort, particularly among visitors from Britain and America, but it has become known for heinous attacks on foreign tourists – with British teenager Scarlett Keeling found dead on Goa’s Anjuna beach in 2008.
‘Foreign tourists a greater target’ ‘Case could go on for five years’