Team Goemkarponn
MARGAO: A 2018 criminal case involving the sexual assault and robbery of a British tourist in South Goa has reached the conviction stage, with the South Goa Principal District and Sessions Court finding Ramchandran Chendayelappa guilty of the offences.
The case relates to an incident on December 20, 2018, when a 48-year-old British national was returning to her accommodation from Canacona railway station in the early hours of the morning. According to the prosecution, the woman was targeted while travelling on foot along an isolated stretch of road in Palolem.
The accused allegedly took her into a nearby field and sexually assaulted her before escaping with three bags containing cash worth ₹20,000, her passport, debit cards and other personal belongings.
The police investigation relied on CCTV recordings from the railway station area to establish the suspect’s identity. Chendayelappa was subsequently traced and arrested at Margao railway station.
Further investigation also brought to light his alleged connection with a separate theft at a Morjim hotel, where ₹32 lakh had reportedly been stolen. Police recovered stolen articles and the two-wheeler suspected to have been used in the crimes.
The prosecution subsequently presented its case before the Sessions Court, examining 22 witnesses to establish the charges against the accused.
After considering the evidence, the court returned a guilty verdict against Chendayelappa for rape, robbery and voluntarily causing hurt in the commission of robbery. However, the court did not find sufficient grounds to convict him of the separate charge of causing the disappearance of evidence and acquitted him on that count.
The proceedings will now move to the sentencing stage, with the court fixing November 16 to hear arguments on the punishment to be imposed.
