MONDAY, MAY 06, 2024
Team Herald
CALANGUTE: If the murder itself did not make the whole of India and beyond go cold, the killer mom’s stone cold composure throughout the journey and even when her driver took the taxi to the police station, will further numb the nation.
According to startling details revealed by the hero of the case, the taxi driver from Candolim hired by murder accused Suchana Seth to flee from Goa, Rayjohn D’Souza, the killer mom was calm and composed from the time she boarded her cab past midnight on Jan 7/8 till she was driven to the police station in Chitradurga district. In fact, Rayjohn revealed that she even opened the bag in which she was carrying her murder victim, her own son in front of the police.
“All through the drive from Candolim (at around 12.30 am) on Monday till she was taken into custody in Chitradurga district at around 12 noon, she was calm and composed, even when the police started closing in on her,” D’Souza said.
“She just kept quiet. She did not get scared, she did not panic….nothing,” he said.
With the Anmod Ghat route closed due to road works, Rayjohn D’Souza took the Chorla Ghat route in North Goa which goes through Sankhali and turns towards Hubballi before Belagavi. However, a truck accident on the winding Chorla Ghat road blocked all traffic leading to hours-long traffic jam. With the taxi likely to be stuck there for six hours, he suggested to Suchana that they turn back and go to Mopa airport which was only about an hour’s drive away. But she turned down the suggestion and insisted on going by road. If it was not for the delay at Chorla Ghat, they might have reached Bengaluru by the time the police called at around 10.30-11am.
“Then the PI spoke to her and told her to open the bag. She herself opened the bag in the car boot itself. On top were some clothes and under that was the boy’s body,” he said. He recounted the events which led to arrest of the accused in one of the most sensational murder cases. Rayjohn D’Souza, said that he was happy that at least with his efforts the police managed to catch her.
“I’m happy that at least with my efforts, they could catch her,” D’Souza said on Thursday.
Recounting the events which led to the accused in one of the most sensational murder cases getting caught, Rayjohn D’Souza said he received a call from Calangute Police at around 10.30 am on Monday.
“I said ‘what happened?’ The police asked how many passengers I had got. I said only a woman. Then they asked whether there was any child with her. I said there wasn’t any child with her,” the driver recounted.
The police then explained to him in Konkani that they have been informed by the hotel that in the room they’ve found blood.
“We were talking in Konkani so she did not know anything. I asked them what to do. They said ‘do you see anything suspicious?’ I said no, she’s quiet. She did not speak anything throughout. They said give the phone to her. Then she spoke to them. Then the police spoke to me and said she told them she kept the child with someone. They’ll verify and call me.”
“Then after 20 minutes they called me and said the address she gave was false and 100 percent she has done something and is fleeing. The child is not with her and not at the hotel as well,” he said.
Calangute Police then told him to stop at the nearest police station or stop the first policeman he saw.
“The problem was all the signs were in Kannada. We had crossed Hubballi and the road was empty and only villages were there. We passed two toll booths, but there were no police,” the driver said.
“Then I decided to stop at a restaurant and I told the other driver to go and spend 10 minutes in the toilet. I saw a watchman and asked him if there was any police station nearby. He said there was one 500 mtrs ahead. Then we went there. There was a constable outside. I gave him the phone and he spoke to the Calangute police inspector and then their police inspector came and spoke,” he said.
“Meanwhile she kept sitting in the car. She asked me why I’ve stopped at the police station. I said I’ve received six-seven calls from Calangute police and they’ve told me to do this. She was then taken into custody. The Calangute Police team led by PI Paresh Naik reached there at 8 pm they finished all the formalities by 4 am.”
Rayjohn D’Souza, driver of the taxi hired by accused Suchana Seth
1 We were talking in Konkani so she did not know anything. I asked them what to do. They said ‘do you see anything suspicious?’ I said no, she’s quiet. Whole way she did not speak anything. They said give the phone to her. Then she spoke to them. Then the police spoke to me and said she told them she kept the child with someone. They’ll verify and call me. Then after 20 minutes they called me and said the address she gave was false and 100 per cent she has done something and is fleeing. The child is not with her and nor at the hotel as well
