TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Suspended Canacona municipal engineer Ajay Naik Dessai failed to surrender before the crime branch on Thursday. However, two others – new owner of the Bharat Developers in Mumbai and daughter of one of the accused builders – were interrogated in connection with the Canacona tragedy at Crime Branch office in Dona Paula.
The Crime Branch has issued a look out circular against four – Pradeep Singh Birring and Judgeep Kumar Sehgal, both owners of Bharat Developers; former municipal engineer Ashank Manju Naik Gaunkar and Ajay Naik Desai.
Ajay, who had assured the Crime Branch that he would surrender at 10.15 am on Thursday failed to appear. However, the team continued its investigation as Mumbai-based Kamlesh Ghumrel and Sehgal’s daughter were questioned for several hours.
Sources said, Ghumrel told the team the sale deed of the Vashi-Mumbai office premises of Bharat Developers was done in January 2014 (days after the under construction building collapsed on January 4) but the deal was already struck in November 2013. He claimed innocence over the entire episode. Prerna was asked about the whereabouts of her father among other queries.
The Crime Branch is already looking out for the foursome, two of whom have supposedly flown out of the country. Even as the south Goa court is keeping a track of the investigation, five persons including four officers are already in the police net. Thirty one labourers had died in the fatal building collapse at Chawdi in Canacona due to substandard work, while around 16 were pulled out alive from the debris by fire services and locals.
