A court has remanded Pundalik Kariyappa Gudge, 28, to five days’ police custody in the Mapusa child rape case. Sharing details of the investigation, police said CCTV footage and inquiries into a quarrel near the Mapusa taxi stand helped establish his identity.Police said the accused was among those present during the quarrel, where the child and her father were also present. Investigators matched him with CCTV footage showing a man accompanying the child into a lane near the crime scene.While others present during the quarrel were traced around the bus stand, Gudge could not be located. District police and Crime Branch teams searched markets, bus stands and railway stations across Goa for 36 hours before apprehending him in Panaji, police said. The accused is likely to have walked from Mapusa to Panaji, informed police. Further investigation is underway to collect evidence and verify all aspects of the case, police further added.
Condition of the child is stable : SP Gupta
North Goa SP Rahul Gupta informed that the condition of the child is stable and that the police are in contact with the child through NGO and Counsellors.
