"He had duct tape in his hand and he tried to grab me."
A 29-year-old Dutch woman was allegedly molested and stabbed by a staff member at the resort where she was staying, just hours after arriving in Goa.
Goa police said the incident took place on the night of March 28, 2023, and a 27-year-old man, who is from Uttarakhand and had been working as a bartender at the resort for at least two years.
The Dutch woman suffered stab injuries and underwent surgery.
The woman later told police: “I have been travelling since earlier this month and after visiting Rajasthan and Mumbai, my plan was to stay at a resort for a night before heading to a four-day yoga retreat in Goa.
“After dinner at the resort, I went to sleep in my tent. The tent did not have a door; it was just a fabric.
“Around 2 am, suddenly the light was switched on. I woke up and saw a man removing the mosquito net around the bed. He had duct tape in his hand and he tried to grab me.
“He told me to shut up or he would kill me. I bit him hard as he put his fingers in my mouth, and tried to push him off the bed.
“As I struggled, I kept yelling for help. Then I saw another man enter the tent
“Initially, I was scared that he was an associate of the accused, but he told me that he was there to help, and a fight ensued between the two.”
The perpetrator ran away before returning with a kitchen knife.
She continued: “He then stabbed the man who had come to help me.
“The other person started bleeding and ran to seek help, while the accused stabbed me with the knife. I tried to overpower him and managed to take the knife from him. I then told him to leave. He picked up his phone and fled.”
She suffered injuries on the left side of her upper back and abdomen.
The Dutch woman told police: “I rushed to the entrance of the resort to ask for help. It is strange that no one from the resort staff heard my screams and no one came to help.
“A foreign national and some locals then called a passer-by and rushed me to the hospital.”
Eurico Nayan Dias heard the woman in distress and rushed to help, being stabbed in the process by the perpetrator.
Eurico said:
“I told my wife I should immediately run and help the woman.”
He scaled a wall to enter the resort and as he entered the tent, Eurico saw a man trying to overpower the woman.
Eurico explained: “He (the accused) was on the bed, trying to grab hold of her as she resisted… I kicked and punched him, and pushed him away from her.
“He ran outside. I assumed he would disappear, but as I was giving the woman a bedsheet, he tapped on my shoulder. I turned and saw that he had returned, with a knife.
“He then started stabbing me – on the back of the head and neck – multiple times.
“There was blood gushing out. I thought I would faint and perhaps it was best that I go and alert my wife and neighbours, so they can come to rescue the woman.
“I ran towards the gate, where my wife was anxiously waiting. I collapsed and told her to get help and save the woman.”
On March 31, it was announced that Eurico would receive a bravery award on August 15.
Goa’s Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte said:
“He has shown that locals in Goa are helpful and selfless.”
Despite being called a hero, Eurico says that is not the case. He said:
“I don’t feel like a hero. I got a chance to save someone’s life and I am happy and blessed that I acted. It was an instinctive thing.”
Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against the accused under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) and 506 (II) (if threat be to cause death or grievous hurt etc) of the Indian Penal Code.
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