Panaji:
Two young Russian women have alleged that a taxi driver attempted to rape them at Anjuna beach here while they were returning from a Christmas party.
Both girls in their complaint lodged at Anjuna police station said they had to jump out of the taxi to escape from his clutches and hide in the woods for almost five hours waiting for the dawn.
Olga Tyurina (29) and Irina Babayan (25) were returning from a discotheque at Saligao in North Goa after attending Christmas party.
Both the girls, who know little English, have told police that an unidentified taxi driver, whom they had hired to drop them back to their hotel at Baga, took them to Anjuna beach.
The taxi driver who initially had agreed for Rs 300 took them by another road pretending to avoid police picketing at 2:20 am. He stopped at Anjuna beach and demanded Rs 1,000 instead, they said.
"When we protested, he tried to grab us. We were horrified and jumped out of the taxi and took shelter in the woods nearby", they added.
The girls said they were in the jungle for almost five hours and left from there only in the morning. The police complaint was lodged on Friday morning at 7 am.