Goa police arrest taxi driver for 'molesting US tourist'


FE Team | Published: January 31, 2018 15:40:55 | Updated: February 01, 2018 12:56:18


A woman holds a sign as she takes part in the #IWillGoOut rally, to show solidarity with the Women's March in Washington, along a street in Mumbai, India, January 21, 2017. - Reuters file photo

Police in the western Indian state of Goa have arrested a motorcycle taxi driver for allegedly molesting an American tourist on Saturday last.

Isidore Fernandes was detained after the woman posted his picture on social media, describing the alleged incident.

She said he asked her for a kiss and when she refused, he tried forcing her hands underneath his clothes, according to a BBC report.

She asked people to share the post so he doesn't "endanger another woman's safety".

In her Facebook post on Monday night, the woman said she had hired Mr Fernandes to drive her to dinner. She said he was "friendly" and they chatted as she saw no harm in a having a conversation with him.

She said he offered to wait for her and drive her back to the hotel. When they were on their way back to the hotel, she said, he began "misbehaving".

"He forced my hands and took them under his shirt and despite constantly telling him to "keep it professional", he took my hands further down over his pants," she wrote.

He allegedly kept turning into lanes, claiming he was taking a shorter route, and then he told her he needed to pull over.

"He stopped his bike and before I could realise what was happening, his penis was in my hands," she said.

She said she managed to escape - she threw some money at him and ran onto a busy road.

In recent months, a growing number of women have spoken out about their experiences of sexual harassment in India.

It followed a campaign encouraging victims to share their stories of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour under the #metoo hashtag.

Recently, a Bollywood actress claimed she was molested on a domestic flight in India by another passenger - she said a "middle-aged man" had repeatedly moved his foot up and down her neck and back while she was "half-asleep".

On New Year's Eve in 2016 in the southern city of Bangalore, several women alleged that they were molested by mobs of men, leading to several arrests.

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