PANJIM: In a major breakthrough, Crime Branch sleuths arrested the former directors of Bharat Developers and Realtors Pvt Ltd, in Mumbai, on Friday evening. The two proclaimed offenders had fled Goa after the collapse of their under-construction building Ruby Residency on January 4, 2014 that killed 31 persons.
Pradip Singh Birring, a British passport holder and Jagdeep Kumar Sehgal, were arrested in a joint operation by Goa and Mumbai Crime Branch at Vashi, Crime Branch Superintendent of Police Kartik Kashyap said.
“We got information that they were in Mumbai. After camping there for three days and verifying their identity, we arrested them at Vashi, on Friday, at 4 pm,” Kashyap told Herald.
The Goa Crime Branch team has obtained a transit warrant from a local court in Mumbai to escort both of them to Goa for custodial interrogation. Kashyap said they are expected to reach Goa on Saturday.
The Crime Branch is ready to file a chargesheet before the Margao Sessions Court in the coming week.
Interestingly, Birring was traced to Manchester until last week, as the Crime Branch was in regular contact with Interpol to extradite him to India, once the chargesheet was filed. The IPS officer, responding to this reporter’s question about Birring’s international travel, asserted that custodial interrogation will throw light about his activities since he escaped from Goa.
“We want to seek answers to an ample number of questions from him, how he escaped from India and returned; where he took shelter; what was he doing during this period and how many properties he sold, if any,” Kashyap said. Sehgal, on the other hand, was apparently in India and hiding in Mumbai.
The Crime Branch had already attached their properties worth Rs 30 crore during the investigation.
Two days ago, Herald had reported that Crime Branch will file a chargesheet in the case next Wednesday after a legal opinion from the Directorate of Prosecution, where the file is currently being studied.
The voluminous chargesheet against 11 accused, including eight government officials, comprises 2,600 pages including forensic reports and statements of 125-odd witnesses.
Accused in the case:
• Town and Country Planning draftsman Ramesh Naik
• Additional Collector-I North Goa Deepak Desai
• Deputy Collector Prashant Shirodkar
• Deputy Collector Pradip Naik
• Deputy Town Planner Prakash Bandodkar
• Municipal engineer Ajay Desai
• Former Municipal Engineer Ashank Manju Naik Gaunkar
• Canacona Municipal Council engineer Suhas Fal Desai
• Contractor Vishwas Desai
