Team Herald
PANJIM: An elderly couple was found murdered in their apartment at Taliwada, Dhargalim on Thursday morning.
Police said Reginald Godinho and his wife Jessy Godinho, both above 70, were initially hit on the head with a blunt instrument. They added that Reginald’s body was found on the floor near the washroom with multiple injury marks on the face and head, while Jessy’s body was on the bed also with multiple injuries on the head and face.
The two, originally natives of Bastora, had been living at Taliwada, Dhargalim for the last 25 years and running a milk-distribution business.
Villagers and police have ruled out robbery as the motive behind the killing. Police said nothing from the house was taken and everything was in place.
Villagers, however, suspect the role of Reginald’s employees, who they say had criminal backgrounds and had even attacked the employer in the past. Police sources said they are not ruling out other angles.
A blood-stained sharp weapon (koita) was found in the garden but no other blunt weapon was found inside the flat, an officer said, adding that a beedi (cigarette) was found in the house, besides some chicken was found to have been fed to the two dogs so that they don’t create any problems.
The incident came to light Thursday morning when a supplier Ashok Araundekar came to supply milk and found the door of the house open and blood everywhere.
He called the police, who led by PI Devendra Gad rushed to the spot and pressed in the dog squads and fingerprint experts.
“Going by the preliminary investigation, it appears that the two were murdered on Wednesday night. Though the motive behind the murder is not yet clear, we suspect it to be revenge. We believe the murderer or the murderers were known to the couple,” said a police officer.
According to the villagers, the workers, are the prime suspect in the case as five years ago one of them had attacked Reginald, who suffered a paralytic attack at that time.
The couple’s only son, who is working in the United States, has been informed about the incident, police said.
