A 22-year-old woman escaped from three alleged abductors after discreetly sharing her live location with a relative, who alerted police and helped them trace and rescue her on Friday night. The three accused, aged between 18 and 22, have been apprehended.The accused have been identified as Anil Naik, Nachiket Pednekar and a minor. They have been booked for extortion, abduction, outraging the modesty of a woman, criminal intimidation with threats to kill and wrongful confinement. The minor has been sent to Apna Ghar.Police said the woman, a native of Bengal, arrived in Goa on Nov 7 for beauty parlour training at an establishment where a relative works.The incident occurred around 7.30pm on Nov 13 as she was walking towards her residence in Colva. Police said the three accused, travelling on two motorcycles, intercepted her and allegedly abducted her at knifepoint. She was forced onto a motorcycle and taken through interior roads to Consua-Majorda.The accused allegedly demanded Rs 20,000 as ransom. The woman transferred Rs 2,000, but they allegedly continued pressuring her for more money.She then convinced them to let her contact a relative to arrange the remaining amount. During the conversation, she discreetly shared her live location, which the relative immediately forwarded to Verna police.Police said the accused later deleted the shared-location information from her phone, but not before it had reached the police. Around 9.30pm, while ransom negotiations were still underway, a Verna PCR van reached the spot. The accused allegedly abandoned the woman and fled on their motorcycles.Police rescued the woman and launched a chase. Though the accused initially escaped, officers noted the registration number of one of the motorcycles.As the suspects fled towards Vasco, police circulated the motorcycle’s registration details to Vasco police. Using the registration number, police traced the vehicle owner’s address and apprehended one of the accused. Information obtained during his interrogation led to the arrest of the other two.The ordeal ended by 10.30pm with all three accused in custody. While Naik and Pednekar were arrested by Colva police, the minor was sent to Apna Ghar.It was a well-coordinated operation, with Colva, Verna and Vasco police working in tandem and under the instructions of South Goa SP Akshat Ayush, said SP Gurudas Kadam, who is holding additional charge of SDPO Salcete.Further investigation is underway.
