PANJIM: The Crime Branch (CB) on Wednesday registered a case of murder in the death of social activist Fr Bismarque Dias, whose body was found in mysterious circumstances in November 2015. 

The CB will now re-investigate the case following directions from the High Court of Bombay at Goa, earlier this month directing it to file a murder case. The CB was also directed to file a status report every three months, till the investigation is completed.

In the FIR registered on Wednesday evening, CB has charged unknown persons with the murder of Fr Dias. “Unknown accused persons assaulted Bismarque Dias, most probably with weapons and threw his body in water thereby committed murder,” the FIR states.  The late priest’s friends had approached the court to get the case transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and had also sought for a FIR to be registered to bring out the truth behind the death.