Team Herald
MARGAO:Forty-eight hours have passed since the murder of the six-year-old girl in Macasana, the whereabouts of the accused father, Saleem Dambal, remain unknown.
The Maina-Curtorim police dispatched a team to search for Saleem, a native of Gadag, Karnataka, who has been absconding after allegedly committing the murder of his daughter. The team has since returned, having been unable to locate him in his native village.
The disturbing incident involved Saleem, reportedly in an inebriated state, fatally hitting his daughter with a wooden rod over a minor issue.
The family resided in a small hut in Macasana and included Saleem's wife, Sumayya Dambal, their deceased six-year-old daughter Sannika Dambal, and their four-year-old son Sanvit Dambal.
Police said that the body of the young girl has been preserved at the South Goa District Hospital for a postmortem examination, and the report is pending.
Police have recorded the statements in connection with the case.
Investigations revealed that the family had recently moved to the Salcete taluka and were residing in a roadside location in Macasana. The Maina-Curtorim police have registered the case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, and the Goa Children’s Act.
A manhunt has been launched to nab the accused.
Police teams searched various locations and potential hideouts and have reviewed CCTV footage from nearby areas.
Railway stations and bus stands are also under surveillance to nab the accused, who fled after his daughter was declared dead at the primary health centre. The motive behind this horrific act is currently unknown, and the police investigation is on.
The severely injured child was taken to the local PHC by the accused and his wife, but she was pronounced dead upon arrival. Saleem later fled.
This incident marks the second murder within the jurisdiction of the Maina-Curtorim police station in the last two weeks. Approximately fifteen days prior, a native of Odisha was murdered in a rented room in Raia.