TEAM HERALD
PORVORIM: Zenito Cardozo, a former NSA detainee and notorious history sheeter, said to be the mastermind in assaulting the staff and damaging property of LPK Bar and Restaurant at Nerul in August, surrendered before the Fast Track Court in Panjim on Friday.
Porvorim police took Cardozo into its custody for further investigation. Cardozo will be produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa on Saturday for remand, informed police.
On August 22, about 30 masked men vandalised a bar and restaurant at Nerul in Bardez. The accused as assaulted the staff on duty and damaged the restaurant property. Police had arrested four accused, Dominic Nazareth, Umesh Pujari, Jayesh Chodanker and Parimal Pandit, while others were reported to be absconding.
Cardozo, who has a number of criminal cases pending investigation and on trial, is a former National Security Act (NSA) detainee and was granted interim bail in May by the High Court of Bombay at Goa and had all charges apparently dropped against him alleging a ‘bad trial’.
According to reports Cardozo was arrested under NSA and the way it was applied to him was wrong and that was their major case during the trial. According to sources it was a clear cut technical error and there are judgments of Supreme Court and High Court which say that this is a case of gross violation of the rights of an individual which cannot be taken away. This called into question the way the case was handled or possibly political patronage given that the case was botched up by the government prosecutors, even though it was after recommendation by the North Goa police to district collector Mihir Vardhan that an order to book him under NSA as issued, and the home minister is the chief minister, many argue.
Police say that Zenito is allegedly involved in murders, attempted murders, extortion, gang wars and even kidnapping cases – even in the case of the alleged apna ghar escapes. However, most of the cases have headed nowhere with the police nor the law being able to do much. The police have been on record that Zenito masterminded the LPK vandalism and had been absconding since then.
