PANJIM: After nearly four years, and when the House Committee report on the politician-police-drug mafia nexus was almost forgotten, the State government has decided to study the committee findings and intends to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Crime Branch (CB) to probe the nexus.
“When the House Committee has made such serious allegations, it is better to investigate. They (then committee members) have put up some documents though I won’t say they have come to a full conclusion. Let the SIT under CB investigate,” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told Herald. An order to this respect is expected to be issued within a fortnight wherein officers will be appointed exclusively to undertake this investigation.
The State Assembly’s House Committee under then MLA Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco had indicted the State’s former Director General of Police, former Home Minister and sitting MLA Ravi Naik’s son Roy Naik, and recommended filing of First Information Reports against both. The 100-odd page report had alleged that Ravi Naik had failed to act against the drug trade and drug mafia while recommending that a motion be passed expelling him from the membership of the House from the date he assumed office as home minister and salaries and allowances drawn by him as minister be recovered.
The committee had its share of political rivalry, as two members Vishnu Wagh and Michael Lobo, did not endorse it while committee chairman Pacheco, Lavu Mamledar and Caetano (Caitu) Silva adopted the report.
The report had indicted in the Naik family, quoting ‘eyewitnesses’ that claimed that Roy involved his wife’s relatives to extort money from the northern coastal belt.
Here is one excerpt from the house committee report: “Roy along with one Imamsab Husensab Thankary would often be seen with Parvez Lutfedin Habib, a resident of Panjim and a close relative of Roy’s wife, in the same vehicle frequenting places along the northern coastal belt where drugs were openly sold. It is believed that Thankary and Habib were used by Roy for collecting ‘Haftas’/’Protection Money’ for patronising and helping the drug trade and both have amassed huge wealth and assets, during this period along with Roy,” it had stated, adding that then Deputy SP and some constables of the crime branch were in constant touch with Habib.
Chief Minister Parrikar, who holds the Home portfolio, refused to comment on the names identified in the report stating, “I would not like to comment into that aspect. Let the SIT look into it,” he said.
