Bookie’s death now labelled as homicide case

TEAM HERALD

PANJIM: Over a week after he was mysteriously found dead along the Altinho-Bhatulem road, Panjim police have converted the unnatural death of cricket bookie Lakhpat Jain into a case of homicide, based on circumstantial evidence collected so far.

The Ahmednagar native’s family had been demanding that the death be probed as a case of murder even as the post mortem did not report any injuries on his body. However, the cause of death is reserved, pending the chemical analysis report from the Karnataka forensic science laboratory. An FIR charging ‘unidentified accused’ for murder was registered, converting the earlier case of unnatural death following a fresh complaint filed by the victim’s son Mayank Jain. 

“The gold ornaments he wore and two of the three mobile phones, he often carried, are missing. It could be a case of robbery but we are looking at all 

possibilities,” a senior officer said. In addition to IPC Section 302 (murder), the Panjim police has also added sections 201 (destruction of evidence) and 390 (robbery) against the unknown culprits.

While the police have conceded they are groping in the dark to trace the whereabouts of the accused, they are tracking the victim’s last movements and the phone call details to make a breakthrough.

Preliminary investigation had revealed that he was carrying an entry pass to an offshore casino and lived in a starred hotel  on the outskirts of the capital city. Interestingly, he was earlier arrested by crime branch sleuths in connection with cricket betting and released on bail thereafter.

“A  case of unnatural death was registered as there was no injury or fracture on his body. The post mortem report also did not reveal anything suspicious so as to register a case of murder. However, to ascertain the cause of death, we have sent the viscera samples to Karnataka forensic science laboratory,”  Police Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai had been earlier quoted as saying.

The Jain family had claimed the body last week to conduct the final rites in Ahmednagar. The victim’s son Mayank nonetheless returned to Goa on Monday to testify before the Panjim police suspecting it to be murder.