Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Police were in for a rude shock when an Indian Reserve Battalion’s (IRB) constable was found dead in mysterious circumstances early Thursday morning.
Kishor Shirodkar, attached with IRB-1 for over 12 years was posted at Colvale Correctional Home on ‘guard duty’. His body was found in the compound of National Institute of Open Schooling at Porvorim at around 8.45am. There were abrasions on his face, a plastic like rope tied around his neck and a blue polythene almost stuffed into his mouth, leaving the police department and his family wondering. Some beer bottles were strewn around next to his body and a two-wheeler fallen onto the ground has raised suspicions the man could have been murdered.
Porvorim Police Inspector Paresh Naik, when contacted told Herald that a case of unnatural death has been registered. “It is a case of suicide as per the medical report but we have not ruled out the possibility of murder. We are investigating all angles,” he said. Porvorim Police will write to IRB Commandant seeking the constable’s duty details.
Police higher ups, North SP Chandana Chowdhary, Crime Branch SP Kartik Kashyap and others rushed to the spot even as
Porvorim police sleuths began an inquiry into the case. The body was sent for the post-mortem and the police registered a case of unnatural death, leaving the case open to probe all angles.
As the police gathered evidence from the spot, Kashyap said they do not rule out anything at this stage. “Let there be a detailed post-mortem report and inquest report. We do not rule out anything. The investigation is being carried out,” he told media persons before the release of the autopsy report. One of Shirodkar’s colleagues who also rushed to the crime scene refused to admit that Shirodkar ever had liquor.
Later during the evening, the forensic report confirmed “asphyxia death due to contusion by a ligature material” indicating death by hanging. A further examination of the body revealed that the marks on his face were ‘fresh ant bites’. “No abrasions are found in any part of the body except on the face which is actually ant bites,” said a police source. The body was also not decomposed indicating the death could have occurred late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
The policeman – a resident of Morjim – was on sick leave since July 3 but his health problem is not known. Police will now record the statements of his family members, including his wife, to establish the reason behind this extreme step or if at all the family suspects any foul play.
Pernem MLA Dayanand Sopte, while on the way to the Legislative Assembly stopped at the crime scene. Until the end of the day, the mystery over his death continued with a senior officer stating a thorough investigation would begin on Friday.
