Goa Politician Accused of Raping Russian Girl Surrenders

Goa politician John Fernandez, who is accused of allegedly raping a Russian girl, has surrendered to police, said reports.

Earlier on December 18, he was denied an anticipatory bail by the Supreme Court.

In a letter to the Russian consulate, the alleged victim, who works at a five-star hotel in Goa, had said that she wanted to drop the case, for she was worried about her safety. She claimed that supporters of Fernandez had assaulted her.

She and her boyfriend have repeatedly blamed police for trying to pressurize them to drop the case.

The victim also said that Fernandez spiked her drink at dinner and then offered her a lift home and then rapped her in the car after they had dropped her friend home.

However, Fernandez, who lost the Assembly election in 2007 as a candidate of the Save the Goa Front, said that he was never alone with the alleged victim in the car.