TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: As the deadline to submit a status report on the Canacona building tragedy ends on Friday, Crime Branch (CB) sleuths arrested two former chief officers under serious cognizable charges, including culpable homicide. This raises the total number of arrests till date to five.
North Goa’s additional collector Dipak Desai and deputy collector for Bicholim taluka Pradip Naik were arrested on Wednesday under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act, in connection with the tragedy.
The FIR against Desai and Naik has charged them under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336 (endangering human life or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt by endangering human life), 338 (grievous hurt by endangering human life) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC, and sections 7 and 13 of PC Act.
The two officers were being questioned at CB office in Dona Paula since Sunday morning in connection with the case. Both as former chief officer of Canacona Municipal Council had signed various permissions and giving occupancy certificates to Ruby Residency complex, one of its under construction building which collapsed on January 4, 2014, killing 31 labourers.
Crime branch’s deputy superintendent of police Sammy Tavares confirmed the arrests while refusing to disclose more details.
The two officers will be produced before a local judicial magistrate for remand on Thursday.
Thecrfime branch has already intimated the Goa government regarding the arrests to take future course of action. Sources at the Secretariat however said they are yet to receive a formal communication from the CB based on which they will order the two officers’ suspension.
Crime branch has already arrested three other government officers – deputy town planner Prakash Bandodkar, chief officer Prashant Shirodkar and municipal engineer Ajay Desai who have also been slapped with the same charges. If the charges are proven in court of trial, maximum penalty is life imprisonment under section 304 of IPC while the other IPC sections carried jail term between two months to two years.
Meanwhile, the crime branch , earlier this week formed a special core team and has already sent some officers to Mumbai to locate the whereabouts of two absconders Pradip Singh Birring and Jugdeep Kumar Sehgal, directors of Bharat developers and Realtors Pvt Ltd.
The CB has been asked by the special judge, south Goa to submit a status report in the case on Friday.
