Team Herald
PANJIM: After almost a month, the Old Goa police in collaboration with the Indian navy divers, Indian Coast Guard and fire personnel will resume search operations for 22-year-old Gujarat businessman Bashudev Bhandari, who `vanished’ after his car plunged into the river at St Estevam from Monday, September 30.
The search operation will include deep sea exploration and drone surveillance.
Old Goa PI Satish Padwalkar said, “Our search operation was on and the team was at the site looking out for the missing person. Now we will conduct an extensive search with deep sea exploration and drone surveillance from Monday.”
The incident had occurred on the night of August 31, when the rent-a-car driven by Bhandari along with his female companion, both hailing from Gujarat fell into the river. Though the girl, a student of a management institute managed to swim ashore, Bhandari went missing.
Prior to the incident, the duo were involved in a minor accident with another vehicle at Marcela and in a desperate bid to flee, they sped away, only to be chased by the unidentified vehicle. In the process, panicked Bhandari drove the car onto a ferry ramp and landed into the river at St Estevam.
Next day the police and the fire personnel launched search operations and removed the car with a crane but Bhandari remained untraced. The police too recovered several personal belongings including Bhandari’s trousers, a laptop and two bags from the car.
A week later, the Old Goa police traced the car which was involved in a chase to Huballi in Karnataka and the two suspects were identified and interrogated by the police.
His disappearance has left the family in turmoil with Bhandari’s father claiming that his son was an excellent swimmer. “Bashudev was a good swimmer and he just cannot drown,” informed his father and brother who claim that they cannot accept the theory of drowning prompting the family to challenge the police investigation and the very circumstances of the fateful day.