John Fernandes remanded in police custody in Russian girl rape case

Goa politician John Fernandes, accused of raping a Russian girl, was today remanded to seven-day police custody by a local court.
   
John, who surrendered before the Crime Branch here yesterday after absconding for almost a month, was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Margao who remanded him in police custody, a police officer said.

John, a South-Goa based politician who unsuccessfully fought 2007 assembly elections on Save Goa Front Party ticket, had allegedly raped a 25-year-old Russian girl by spiking her drink at Colva beach on December one.

He had managed to get anticipatory bail in the case from district and sessions court Margao, which was later set aside by the Panaji Bench of Bombay High Court.

The accused went absconding soon after the high court rejected his bail plea. He also approached the Supreme Court with the same but his petition was dismissed.

The Crime Branch investigating the case had issued a look-out circular and a local court had declared the accused as absconder.

However, his lawyer Rajiv Gomes claimed that his client was not missing but was present in the country. "He did not surrender before the police as the legal formality of approaching Supreme Court was on. When his case was dismissed, he decided to surrender," he said.