PANJIM: In a significant breakthrough, Gautam Khattar, the primary accused in the St Francis Xavier derogatory remarks case, was brought back to Goa by the Crime Branch on Sunday following his arrest in Himachal Pradesh.
Gautam, who had been on the run, was arrested by Himachal Pradesh Police on Friday from Kullu district following coordinated efforts based on technical inputs shared by Goa Police. He was flown into Mopa Airport and later taken to the Crime Branch office in Ribandar for further investigation.
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Gautam was produced before the JMFC Vasco court, which remanded him to six days of police custody to aid the investigation. The custody will help investigators establish links and determine the extent of involvement in the case, police said.
Police officials confirmed that multiple complaints have been registered against him at various police stations across Goa for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Prior to his arrest, the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Vasco had issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
In a related development, Khattar’s brother, Madhav Khattar, was arrested earlier this week from Haridwar, Uttarakhand. According to police, Madhav is suspected to have written the speech and facilitated Gautam Khattar’s participation at the event held in Vasco.
He was brought to Goa by a Vasco police team, handed over to the Crime Branch, and later remanded to four days of police custody by the JMFC court for interrogation.
The alleged hate speech, delivered in Vasco last week, sparked widespread outrage among Goans, prompting intensified police efforts to trace the accused, who fled the State soon after the incident.
