Team Goemkarponn
MAPUSA: Goa Police have arrested 28-year-old Pundalik Kariyappa Gadge, a native of Hubballi-Dharwad, in connection with the sexual assault of a four-year-old girl in Mapusa. SP North Goa Rahul Gupta said the accused was apprehended around 7 am on Wednesday following an intensive search operation and allegedly confessed to the crime during interrogation.
Addressing the media, Gupta said CCTV footage and information gathered from people familiar with the accused played a crucial role in cracking the case. The investigation initially posed a challenge as police had no information about the identity of the child or the accused.
Police first identified the victim with the help of local people and subsequently established the sequence of events leading to the incident. CCTV footage from the area helped investigators identify a suspect who was later recognised by a roadside labourer.
Tracing the accused proved difficult as he did not own a mobile phone and had no digital footprint. Police teams were deployed across Mapusa, Panaji, Margao and Vasco, including railway stations and bus stands, to track him down. He was eventually spotted by a police team and apprehended on Wednesday morning.
During the investigation, police recovered a bag, a bedsheet and the child’s frock from the crime scene. According to SP Gupta, the bag belonged to the accused and was identified by people familiar with him as well as the accused himself.
The police have registered FIR No. 147/2026 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Goa Children’s Act and POCSO Act.
Gupta confirmed that the victim is stable and that police are communicating with her through a counsellor and an NGO. He also revealed that, based on the accused’s interrogation, he allegedly walked from Mapusa to Panaji after the incident.
Police dismissed reports that the accused had initially been detained and subsequently released during the investigation, terming such claims false.
The SP said the investigation would continue, with police focusing on collecting scientific evidence, completing the chargesheet at the earliest and ensuring a fair and speedy trial.
Gupta also appealed to shopkeepers, commercial establishments and residents to install CCTV cameras covering areas outside their premises, pointing out that surveillance footage played an important role in detecting the crime.
He appreciated the cooperation of the Mapusa Market Association, which has committed to installing additional CCTV cameras in the market and surrounding areas, and stressed that crime prevention and detection require collective responsibility from society.
