OLD GOA, JAN 9
With the teenager from Assam fleeing from the Apna Ghar remand home at Merces on January 6, eyebrows have been raised about the security concerns at the remand home.
It may be recalled that Rafikul Islam alias Kumar Sopikul (17) was arrested after he was found loitering in the prohibited defence area at Vasco on December 24 and was sent to a remand home at Merces. However, the teenager escaped from the remand home on January 6 at about 2 pm, only to be traced at Vasco on Friday.
While it was Sopikul who had fled away from the remand home by breaking the window grills, in the last few months a number of youth below 18 years, had made their escape either by breaking the window grills or by some other means.
It may be recalled that on October 29, 2008 about five children aged between 15 and 17 years who were serving imprisonment in connection with thefts and narcotics cases at Apna Ghar escaped.
The five youth who had escaped included Karim Sheikh, Suraj Naik, Sahadev Lakda, Sanjay Arjun Birayak and Anthony Rodrigues.
Though a complaint with the effect was registered with the Old Goa police station, it is still not known if any of the accused has been arrested.
Later, Minister for Women and Child Development Ravi Naik along with St Cruz MLA Victoria Fernandes visited the remand home to acquaint themselves with the conditions of the children staying there and solve the problems like water problem, electricity and the staying arrangement.
The home minister had informed Herald that whatever facilities were lacking at the remand home would be taken care of as soon as possible. But with the escape of Kumar many eyebrows are raised as far as the security is concerned.
