Goa, goa, gone

Indian police arrested at least 40 people in an overnight crackdown on suspected drug dealers and other criminals in Goa following a rash of attacks on tourists, a top police officer said.

Scarlett Keeling, a 15-year-old British girl, was raped and murdered last month prompting criticism of the police for failing to protect her and others visiting the popular tourist destination.

A German woman was molested in a beach last week, police said.

"I will be ruthless, no one can take Goa for granted," Kishan Kumar, the Inspector general of police told Reuters, referring to the drive against criminals.

"Anybody lurking in the beaches after midnight with suspicious intent will have to face lot of questioning from now on."

Where's the love Goa? Has the vibe turned ugly? I can draw a comparison between the Goa transition from the '90 to the '00s and the Berkeley transition between the '60s to the '70s (groups of happy hippies giving way to gangs of sexual predators and drug slingers; addicts and PTSD war vets suddenly stumbling into the scene; news of violence and crime overshadowing the trademark 'peace & love' vibe, etc.) but that would just be empty commentary. A better way to put it is that Goa is cracked out y'all.