Goa politician who ‘raped’ Russian surrenders

After evading arrest for nearly a month, Goa politician John Fernandes, accused of raping a 25-year-old Russian woman, surrendered before the police on Tuesday. The surrender came two days after the Supreme Court refused to restore his anticipatory bail initially granted.

Fernandes has been arrested and would be interrogated, Deputy Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Salgaoncar said. He said the accused walked into the Crime Branch office at Dona Paula with his lawyer at 2 pm.

He also said the accused would be charged with destroying evidence as he had not handed over the clothes worn by him on the day he allegedly raped the Russian woman.

Fernandes, a south Goa politician, who unsuccessfully fought 2007 assembly elections on a ticket by Churchill Alemao's Save Goa Front Party, allegedly raped the 25-year-old Russian by spiking her drinks at Colva beach on the night of December 1.

Salgaoncar said the accused went missing when the Panaji bench of Bombay High Court rejected the anticipatory bail granted to him by the district and sessions court. The accused then approached the Supreme Court with the anticipatory bail plea. The SC refused to interfere with the high court order.

The crime branch will now initiate a probe into Fernandes' movements since he went missing. "If some people helped him to hide, we will initiate action against them," Salgaoncar said.

Police had issued lookout circulars after Fernandes went missing. He was declared an absconder by the First Class Judicial Magistrate of Margao.