In the wake of a sensational late-night raid on an illegal high-end gambling den near the Goa-Karnataka border, Superintendent of Police (South Goa), Tikam Singh Verma, has issued a show cause notice to Canacona Police Inspector Harish Raut Desai for alleged dereliction of duty.
The action comes amid serious allegations of inaction by the local police despite reportedly having prior knowledge of the racket, which operated out of a secluded bungalow in Xelim. The raid, conducted between Monday night and Tuesday morning last week, resulted in the arrest of 40 individuals, including seven organisers. Authorities seized Rs 5.20 lakh in cash, 40 mobile phones, playing cards, a computer, and a vehicle, with the total value of seized items pegged at Rs 16.35 lakh.
According to sources, the illegal gambling operation had been running for the past six months, allegedly under the watch of an indifferent local police force. It is further alleged that officers at the Canacona Police Station had received specific information about the illegal activities at the bungalow but failed to take timely action. Inspector Desai, who was reportedly informed directly, is accused of neglecting to act against the gambling den and its promoters.
One of the key individuals under investigation is Ligorio D’Souza, believed to be managing the property where the gambling was conducted. On Saturday, he was interrogated for over an hour by PSI Ajit Velip. Police sources indicate that the bungalow is owned by a woman named Thelma, currently abroad, who had allegedly entrusted the premises to Ligorio. Those arrested have reportedly confessed that Ligorio was the main organiser.
What has raised further alarm is the fact that only one of the 40 arrested is a Goan resident, while the rest are from Karwar, Karnataka — highlighting the cross-border nature of the illegal operation and raising concerns about local complicity or negligence.
With PI Desai now under official scrutiny and public outrage growing, the SP’s intervention has thrown a spotlight on what appears to be a deeper systemic failure in Canacona’s policing apparatus.