AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
KHALCHAWADA, ARAMBOL: The death of Arambol resident Amar Bandekar in a brutal attack by shack workers has awakened the villagers to the reality that outsiders are moving dangerously in the hamlet. The victim’s family and locals hope that the long arm of the law will ensure his killers are punished.
“The problem is that, out of the 12 shacks permitted, only two are run by locals. Had the shack been run by one of us, my brother would probably still be alive today,” said Yuvraj Bandekar, Amar’s younger sibling.
“I lost my elder brother because we have allowed these outsiders to come here and dominate us. A local shack owner would not have reacted the way the person running the shack did. They would most likely have resolved the problem amicably,” Yuvraj added.
According to the villagers, Amar was someone who liked to help others and enjoyed his own space.
“I saw him sitting at a table, and after a while, having an argument with a waiter that ended in a fistfight. Suddenly, he was surrounded, and arms could be seen flying around. I did not intervene because it did not seem serious,” admitted a local, speaking on condition of anonymity, who had also been on a walk that fateful evening.
“Through Amar’s death, the village has woken up to the reality that outsiders are moving dangerously in the village. Such an eruption was bound to happen because many of us preferred to turn a blind eye out of greed for quick money. Now, we have paid with a life. I hope the village realises this,” admitted Manuel Fernandes, a local.
“Once allotted, shacks cannot be leased out. What has happened is a pity and a shame,” Fernandes added.
“We saw him walking briskly from the beach, hurling abuses at some people, and all of a sudden, he collapsed behind our lifeguard tower. My boy rushed down to him, and seeing him unconscious, first tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and then asked for an oxygen canister,” said Anthony Rodrigues, supervisor of a lifesaving agency.
“We finished one canister of oxygen, but he was not responding. There was a bruise on his left eye, but we noticed no other physical injuries on him. Since the 108 ambulance was taking time to arrive, his family took him to the hospital in a private ambulance,” Rodrigues added.
“I made the guy who was running the shack sit in my jeep and drove toward the church, where the main accused was pointed out to me, hiding in a corner. Once he was apprehended, the truth began to come out. We expect to pick up more people in the coming days,” disclosed Mandrem Police Inspector Sheriff Jacques.
“The three accused have been booked under Section 103 of the BNS – culpable homicide amounting to murder – and let the law take its course,” affirmed Jacques.
The post-mortem report of Amar, accessed by O Heraldo, indicates that the victim died due to “triple vessel coronary artery disease” and that he had “simple injuries” on his body.
“It is claimed he ran on soft sand to escape those who were attacking him, which could have triggered an early heart attack. However, the autopsy clearly indicated he had severe heart problems, which explains the sudden collapse,” detailed a doctor from the Toxicology Department of Goa Medical College (GMC), speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Triple vessel coronary artery disease is very serious. If detected, it can be treated. Otherwise, it is difficult to predict when it will strike, and when it does, there is little one can do,” suggested Dr Francisco Colaco, one of Goa’s leading cardiologists.
Two more land in Mandrem Police net
PERNEM: Two more persons were arrested by the Mandrem police in connection with the murder of 28-year-old Amar Bandekar from Arambol, taking the total number of arrests in the case to three.
The police gave the names of accused as Lalit Thakur (24) from Nepal and Vibhishan Kumar (26) from Kullu, Himachal Pradesh.
On Sunday, police arrested Surender Kumar of Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. All three were working at the Sea Lounge Beach Shack, Arambol. Surender Kumar has been remanded in seven days police custody by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Pernem.
According to the police, Thakur and Vibhishan were seen assaulting the deceased in the CCTV footage.
A case has been registered against the trio under Section 103 read with 3 (5) of BNS related to murder, group attack and mob lynching.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening when Amar Bandekar had gone for a walk on the Arambol beach. Verbal clashes broke out between Bandekar and the shack workers over shifting of few obstructing chairs placed on the beach culminated into the fatal assault on the former.