The President of Goa’s tourism association, Francisco Braganza, has stepped up and said the crocodile is a hoax and that the beach is indeed safe.
Braganza also went further and suggested that the fake crocodile had been placed by a rival in an attempt to scare tourists away from Goa’s resorts.
“A rival destination is attempting to create an issue with regards to the safety of Goa beaches,” he was reported as saying in the Times of India.
“The national media seems to have blown the story out of proportion. They (media) ought to have heard the other side of the story before attempting to put fear in the tourists.”
He did not have any suggestions as to who may have been behind the prank.
A local, Nilesh Bagkar, posted a picture on Facebook of a crocodile that he said he saw during an early morning walk, warning friends and family to be careful when in the area and on the beach.
Goa’s forest department did confirm a crocodile sighting at Morgim beach on July 16, according to the Times of India.
Crocodiles are often found more inland in Goa, where the live in the marshy rivers and Bagar did admit it was possible.
