Indian man arrested after British woman 'raped in Goa'

Forty-eight-year-old sexually assaulted and robbed near guesthouse at popular tourist beach

A British woman was raped near to Palolem beach in Goa (Rex Features)

Indian police have arrested a man on suspicion of raping a British woman in the western state of Goa.

The woman, 48, was walking to a beach guesthouse from the town of Canacona when she was sexually assaulted and robbed, according to reports.

The suspect, a 30-year-old from Tamil Nadu state in southeast India, is alleged to have stolen three of her bags before fleeing.

Police said the victim was walking from Canacona station with her luggage to Palolem beach, a popular tourist destination, when she was attacked at 3am on Thursday.

Her attacker pushed her from the road and into nearby field, where he raped her, according to the Times of India.

The woman, a frequent visitor to Goa, had reportedly walked to the station to catch a train but returned after learning it was running late.

Her attacker stole bags containing 20,000 rupees (£225), a mobile phone, a passport and bank cards.

A suspect was arrested after police studied CCTV footage.

Last year a 28-year-old Irish backpacker was raped and strangled to death at Palolem beach. Vikhat Bhagat, 24, was later arrested and charged with murder. His trial began in April and is still ongoing.

In 2008, British 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling was raped and murdered while on a family holiday to Goa. Her killers have never been convicted. Two men were cleared of culpable homicide and sexual assault in 2016.