SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Head Constable Sanjay Talkar, the accused in the alleged bribery and extortion case is in for serious trouble after the North Goa Sessions Court dismissed his anticipatory bail application.
Talkar was later arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with the alleged extortion of Rs 8,000 from Pruthvi H N, an adventure sports operator from Arambol, Pernem.
While dismissing his anticipatory bail application, the Sessions Judge Sherin Paul observed, “There is prima facie evidence against the applicant and his involvement in the offence of demand for money will have a very negative impact on society more so, as the acts of the applicant was a threat to the right of the complainant to earn a living by doing a business which the case papers indicate was a legal business.
The Court noted that the custody of the application was required for the purpose of determining all other officials which are involved in the case as there is manipulation of records of the police station and a thorough investigation is required on this count, more so as it is apparent that attempts have been made to falsely implicate the complainant under The Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001, which is against the society.
The investigating officer PI Melito Fernandes had also placed on record a pen-drive of the recording of the call made to the complainant wherein a person was issuing threat to the complainant and demanding of him to withdraw the complaint filed against the head constable.
If threats are issued to the complainant then his security is obviously is at stake.
Meanwhile, SP Nelson Albuquerque stated that custodial interrogation of the accused was required to bring the case to its logical conclusion. “We want to investigate all those who have been brought on record in the complaint,” he said.
Meanwhile, the complaint Pruthvi told O Heraldo that he was happy with the Court order and said that he will fight the case till he gets justice. He was also all praise for the investigating officer PI Melito Fernandes, DySP Rajan Nigyale and SP Nelson Albuquerque for extending all possible help in his war against the corruption.
It may be recalled that O Heraldo on its Sunday edition (April 7) had highlighted the story of cops demanding the pound of flesh to let Pruthvi H N to carry on with his trade since December 2023. Pruthvi operates a paraglider-low panorama adventure sports activity at Keri-Pernem.
The head constable approached Pruthvi and allegedly told him that his business activity was illegal and that he was directed by his boss at the Tiracol Coastal Police Station to seize his glider.
The ACB sleuths have started quizzing the arrested head constable and hope that he would spill the beans and more skeletons would tumble out from the police cupboards. Sources say that two senior controversial police officers and another head constable at whom the needle of suspicion have been pointing to have been running from pillar to post the save their skins.
