What is it with Margao that in the past weeks has been notching up crimes almost regularly? After the shooting at Anwar Shaikh alias Tiger, a car belonging to a school principal was set on fire allegedly as a revenge act and now, two senior citizens have been found killed in their house. Quite suddenly nobody appears to be safe in the State – for that matter not even in their houses – as the graph of serious crime takes an upward turn. This is not petty theft that we are talking about – though there are several cases of house breaking too in the State – this is murder, arson and shooting. In September last Goa was shocked by the murder of a jeweller in daylight after an attempted robbery turned wrong. And in the past weeks, again Margao has seen many more crimes take place.
The latest was in Ambajim, Fatorda where two senior citizens – a woman and her son-in-law – were found dead in a pool of blood and wrapped with plastic material in a storeroom located behind their house. The complainant, who is the son of the victim, alleged that his father and grandmother were murdered by labourers who lived in a room behind the house. The labourers went missing immediately after and the two-wheeler that was also missing was later found near the railway station, but in a quick move the trio wanted for the murder was arrested in Mumbai just some 24 hours later, which will allow the police to notch up another crime as solved.
Not much, however, is known yet – no motive ascertained – and the police say it could be personal enmity and a robbery. If that is so, then this is the second robbery that resulted in murder, the first being of the jeweller in September last. The bodies have stab marks and blunt injuries. A shocked neighbourhood is wondering what exactly happened, what went wrong. Yet, it is not the first time that they would be wondering this. The shooting of Shaikh may have been related to gang rivalry, but setting a car on fire in the dead of night is a clear act of revenge and a crime that needs to be thoroughly probed.
All three incidents occurred in the crowded Fatorda area – which has a separate police station of its own – prompting the local MLA Vijai Sardesai to allege that Goa is turning into a ‘lawless and violent State’. Sardesai being in the opposition is bound to make these statements, but they achieve nothing other than some news space and politicians have by now become experts at giving quick bites to the media on all issues. The double murder is an indication of a lack of control by the administration, but this shouldn’t be about politics and scoring brownie points. This should be about keeping Goa, the Goan and their property safe. If those involved in the drug cases and those alleged to have committed the double murder are from outside Goa, the perpetrators of the shooting and of setting a car on fire are locals.
What Goa needs is to see that its law enforcement agencies are at work. Yes, they have managed to arrest the wanted trio in quick time. In the case of the jeweller’s murder too arrests were made. But, it is also obvious that there is no fear of the law enforcement agencies in the State. Unless this fear exists, crime will not stop. Solving the cases is an entirely different matter, stopping them from occurring should be the aim of the law enforcement agencies. It is the safety of the people that is important and this can be done by stopping crime from occurring.
