Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Goa Police Probe Vagator Beach SUV Ordeal as Hotel Staffer Says He Drove Fortuner

The case tests how Goa enforces beach-driving bans after viral videos trigger quick action.

Overview

  • A Gujarat-registered Toyota Fortuner was driven onto Vagator beach in Goa, got stuck in loose sand as the tide rose, and filled with seawater before a crane lifted it out.
  • Video from the scene showed bystanders opening the SUV as water gushed out, after rope attempts to tow it with another vehicle failed.
  • Anjuna Police registered a case under Sections 281 and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with motor-vehicle rules, calling the drive rash and a breach of the beach ban.
  • The owner, 22-year-old Arjun Singh Rawat, said he gave the car to hotel staff for washing and denied allowing anyone to take it onto the beach.
  • In a new development, a hotel staffer posted a video claiming he alone took the SUV without the owner’s knowledge, as police seized the vehicle and continued to identify who is legally responsible.