The suspended cops have given DGPin docket over the Assagao case

Amresh Parab

Panaji

Two of the three policemen suspended in connection with the Assagao house situation narrated to the crime branch the entire incident involving the property, the partial demolition of the house and instructions received in connection with the case from Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh.

The crime branch, which is probing the partial house demolition and kidnapping case, on Friday recorded the statements of two suspended police officers as witnesses in the case.

Sources said the two suspended officers – Police Inspector Prashal Naik Dessai and Police Sub-Inspector Sanket Pokhre – were summoned to the Ribandar Crime Branch and their statements were recorded under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Earlier, Naik Dessai in his report had accused the DGP of pressuring and threatening him for not facilitating the demolition of a house in Assagao.

The investigation report stated that the DGP’s communication on the day of partial demolition of the house was forwarded to the North Goa police and the SDPO, Mapusa.

“When I took calls from DGP Goa, PSI Sanket Pokhare, HC Yogesh Korgaonkar and PC Satyendra Nasnodkar were present,” Naik Dessai said in the report.

Naik Dessai said that once he and SDPO Mapusa Sandesh Chodankar attended a meeting with the DGP where Jaspal Singh discussed the purchase of the said property by Pooja Sharma.

Naik Dessai revealed that the DGP “directed us to help her vacate the said house”.

“On June 22, 2024, I received a call from DGP Goa informing me that Pooja Sharma’s group will come to Assagao and seek their help,” said the suspended policeman.

“On 24.06.2024, DGP Goa directed me to come to this office in PHQ Panaji. Accordingly, I visited the office of DGP Goa where he started shouting at me that I had not allowed Arshad Khawaja to complete the demolition work of the house,” Naik said in the report.

The report also said, “He also started threatening to set up a high-level committee against me as I did not allow Arshad Khawaja to demolish the entire hall as he (Arshad) was doing it legally. He also threatened me that if he is also transferred from Goa whenever he is posted, he will register (a) a case under the NDPS Act and falsely record the statement of the accused that he is peddling drugs in connivance with PI Anjuna station police and frame me for this matter.

Meanwhile, the criminal department has arrested three more security guards, all of them women.

The arrested accused are Shaheen Saudagar (38) and Shalan Kallappa Morekar (42) from Candolim and Bismilla Gorgundagi (44) from Nerul.

Police said eight people have been arrested so far, five of whom were security guards.

On June 26, the government handed over the case to the Anjuna Police Crime Branch, which was the first to investigate the incident.

Two accused were arrested by the Anjuna police while six were arrested by the crime branch after taking over the case.

“Five of the six accused were present at the spot; the sixth one connived with the main accused and gave his vehicle for committing the crime. We have seized two vehicles which were used in committing the crime and which are visible in the video footage,” said crime branch SP Rahul Gupta.

Referring to the allegations against the DGP, Gupta said, “There is one unnamed and unsigned document that was received today and which was covered by various media groups making allegations against senior officers. It is premature to draw conclusions from such an unverifiable document.”

Stating that investigation into the case is ongoing, the SP’s crime branch said, “We are committed to ensuring free, fair and speedy justice in the case.”