Goa MLA Monserratte who bought and raped' minor girl gets bail

Panaji, May 18: Goa legislator Atanasio Monserratte, who was arrested for allegedly buying and raping a minor girl, has been granted bail by a local court today.

District and Sessions Judge Pramod Kamat granted bail to Monserratte, and also the girl's mother and another woman, Rosy Ferros, arrested for allegedly selling her to the MLA for Rs 50 lakh.

The St Cruz legislator has been asked to furnish bail amount of Rs one lakh and a surety of the like amount. He has been asked to appear before Crime Branch for next seven days.

The two other accused women were asked to furnish bail amount of Rs 25,000 each and sureties of the like amount. They were also asked to report to the Crime Branch for seven days.

The legislator, who had been expelled from Congress last year, was arrested on May 5.

Goa police is investigating the case against Monserratte who has been booked for buying the 16-year-old girl and raping her in March.

He was booked under IPC sections 376 (rape), 328 (poisoning), 342 (wrongful confinement), 370 (A) (trafficking), provisions of Goa Children Act and Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The MLA's counsel Rajiv Gomes had argued against slapping of section 370 of IPC and section 8(2) of Goa Children's Act in the FIR against the MLA.

Referring to the statement recorded by the girl, Gomes said there was no sexual assault in this case as the girl never claimed or disclosed about it in her complaint.

He also challenged the arrest of Monserratte on May 5, the day he appeared before police, by an officer who was not investigating the case.

Gomes had pointed out that the arrest was executed by Police Inspector Dattaguru Sawant, while the case was investigated by Sawant's colleague Sudiksha Naik.

The lawyer had claimed that the investigation was conducted at the behest of political opponents of the accused.

He also said that by charging the legislator with rape, the police were making the girl as "rape victim" and "tarnishing her image".

In his bail plea, the MLA said the charge of rape against him was a "fertile imagination of investigating officer".

Comments

Every thing is Good & Fair in Modi Somalia Sarkar.

Voted for Change now bear it.

Rapist NAMO NAMO....

SAB KE SAATH sab ka vikas..... NAMO brigade train ==============pommmmmmmmp...

India is great!

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Air India Express brings back Mangaluru–Muscat direct flights from March 2026

News Network

December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

Comments