PANJIM: The Goa Police appear to be in the news for all the wrong reasons. Right from the Google Pay scandal to the mishandling of the tragic Banastarim accident case, and a top cop getting caught on camera for misbehaving with a woman at a night club in Baga, this time negligence of the men in uniform allowed a killer and his accomplice to coolly get by three checkposts with a corpse in a car having tinted glasses.
The incident has raised a hue and cry about how the police take security matters at the porous border checkposts very lightly.
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The main accused Fakir alias Prakash Chunchwad (22) along with his accomplice, Nirupadi Kadakal (21), both residents of Socorro, put the body of the 30-year-old Kamakshi Uddapnov, a Porvorim resident, in the car with tinted glasses, bearing registration No. GA-03-H-9923 and drove it all the way to Amboli Ghat.
They brazenly crossed three checkposts without being stopped for questioning by the men in uniform on the way.
There were three checkposts on the route of the accused: One at Naibagh in Pernem, the other at Mopa in Pernem and the third at Patradevi. Incidentally, the Patradevi checkpost is manned by not only the Goa Police but also the Excise Department and the regional transport authority.
As per the amended Indian Motor Vehicle Act, the fine for tinted glasses and fancy number plates for vehicles has been increased to Rs 2,000 from Rs 100.
When asked how the car with tinted glasses was allowed to cross the checkposts without any checks, a police officer said that there are strict instructions from the higher-ups not to stop any vehicle unnecessarily as the department is keen to quell allegations galore that cops have been extorting money by doing so.
In a startling revelation it has come to light that not only have the barricades at the checkposts been removed, but also that only vehicles from other States are required to submit their documents while those bearing the local registration plates are let off.
But, how can a car with tinted glasses be allowed to move freely when the law prohibits it? The police officer, in a feeble attempt at justifying the police’s lethargy, said such vehicles speed past the checkpost at 80 kmph, making it impossible to stop them.
The vehicle in question had been purchased in March 2012, and since then has been driven with tinted glasses, with not a single challan being issued to the owner for the transgression.
Twenty-four hours after the horrific murder of Kamakshi, swift action by the Porvorim Police resulted in the nabbing of Fakir and Nirupadi.
Investigation has revealed that Kamakshi had ended her relationship with Fakir on account of harassment and assault, and that Fakir had even given a written undertaking to the Mapusa Police promising not to interfere with her in the future. However, tragically, the situation escalated, resulting in this horrific incident
