Panaji, Dec 4 (IANS) A Russian woman, who claimed a local politician tried to rape her, Friday said the Goa police threatened her not to pursue the case or else she will lose her visa.
Vikram Varma, legal representative of the Russian consulate in Goa, told reporters that officials at the Colva police station had threatened the 25-year-old victim.

“The officials told her that she would lose her visa, if she went and complained against the accused, who they said was an ‘influential person’,” Varma said.

The victim in a letter to the Russian consulate in Mumbai Friday said: “I was harassed for almost three-and-half hours at Colva police station when I approached with the complaint Dec 2.”

Varma said that the drink she was offered by the accused, local politician John Fernandes, was spiked.

The woman is employed as a Russian liason representative in a five-star-resort here.

She was with her friend, a girl, on the night of Dec 1 when she was offered a lift by Fernandes and the trio ended up having a dinner at a nearby shack in Colva, 30 km from here.

When they were heading back home in Fernandes’ car, she felt giddy and then Fernandes tried to rape her. But somehow she managed to fend off his advances, the victim said in her letter.

Police medical report appears to corroborate the victim’s story, as it has noted fresh bruise marks on the victim’s thigh and knees. Police refused comment on the issue.