Man Rapes British Woman After Luring Victim With Mud Bath

A man has been arrested for allegedly raping a British woman after luring her with the offer of a mud bath in Arambol, North Goa, India on Tuesday, June 7.

The accused, identified as Joel D’souza, 22, has been charged under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and taken into custody after he allegedly posed as a masseuse and led the British woman to Sweet Water Lake in Arambol, North Goa, India under the pretext of giving her a mud bath. However, while he drew the mud bath for her, he took advantage of the situation, since they were alone, and smeared mud all over her body before proceeding to heinously rape the victim, Indian Express reported.

The woman was reportedly accompanied by her husband for the massage. However, despite being in the vicinity of the assault, he was left unaware of the rape until his wife later narrated the horrific ordeal. Following the incident, the victim, who was in Goa on a tourist visa, approached the U.K. consulate for assistance. With the help of the officials of the consulate in Goa and local police, the victim filed a complaint against D’souza on Monday, June 6, and a First Information Report (FIR) was registered, Times Now reported.

“We will take action against illegal massage parlors. I have already instructed the police department that all illegal massage parlors will be shut down from tomorrow. Only those who have a spa license and beauty parlor license, those who are registered with the health, police, and tourism department, will be allowed to run. In Ayurvedic panchakarma centers, and massage parlors, there should be Ayurvedic practitioners.” Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.

“All massage parlors have been directed to keep their licenses visible with the names of the masseuse. Tourists are also being informed that no cross-massage is permitted in Goa which means males can be massaged only by a male masseuse and females only by a female. There is also an extensive crackdown on hawkers and touts. People are also advised not to take assistance from guides, and touts and not purchase anything from hawkers. More than 100 hawkers have been booked in the last one month.” Shobhit Saksena, Superintendent of Police, North Goa added.

Saksena assured that actions have been taken against illegal massage parlors and hawkers, and that no masseuse without a license will be allowed to offer services. According to Saksena, hawkers selling small items on beaches, braiding hair, and offering massages on the beach have also been disallowed.