Pune, 2nd November 2024: Goa police arrested a taxi driver on Friday following an alleged assault on tourists from Pune, while a second driver involved in the incident remains at large. The altercation occurred near the St. Anthony Chapel junction in Calangute and quickly gained public attention after a video of the assault circulated on social media.
The victims described the ordeal as a “horrifying experience” and expressed concern over the safety of tourists in Goa. “We no longer feel that Goa is a safe destination,” said Rizwan Sheikh, one of the tourists involved in the attack.
According to Rizwan, the family had gone for a walk around 9 p.m. near the busy Calangute-Candolim road, a popular area for shopping. While attempting to cross the road, Rizwan requested a taxi driver to move his vehicle, which was obstructing their path in the middle of heavy traffic. Instead of complying, the driver allegedly became aggressive, verbally abusing the family before physically attacking them.
“When I asked him to move, he started shouting and got out of his taxi. Then, without any warning, he hit me,” Rizwan recounted. His wife, Fauzia, who tried to intervene, was also attacked, according to his statement. As more family members rushed to stop the violence, a second taxi driver allegedly joined in, escalating the situation.
The drivers fled when the family contacted the police. Fauzia later filed an official complaint with the Calangute police station, leading to the swift arrest of one of the taxi drivers, identified as Philip Noronha. However, authorities are still searching for the second driver involved in the altercation. Police said the arrested driver had returned home the following morning, where he was taken into custody.
Both taxi drivers were reportedly not in uniform at the time of the incident. “We appreciate the quick action by the police in arresting one of the attackers, but more needs to be done to make Goa safer for tourists,” said Fauzia Sheikh.
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents in Goa’s popular tourist areas. In a separate incident, 15-20 bouncers reportedly assaulted two youths at Baga, and another case involved three veterinarians being attacked at Candolim Beach. These occurrences have raised concerns about the safety of visitors, with some calling for stricter enforcement of laws in the coastal belt.
The Calangute Police Inspector, Paresh Naik, who had been recently transferred due to concerns about increasing violence in the area, was reinstated just days before the latest attack.
As the search for the second taxi driver continues, the Sheikh family has urged the Goa government to prioritize tourist safety. “We came here expecting a relaxing vacation, but now we wonder if any tourist is truly safe in Goa,” said Nadiya Sheikh, another family member. “The incident has left us shaken, and we hope no one else has to experience something like this.”
This post was originally published on here
