PANJIM: Police Inspector Vidyesh Pilgaonkar, the former head of the Tiracol Coastal Police Station, was suspended from the service on Monday.
On Saturday, he was arrested in the alleged bribery and extortion case and remanded to five days in police custody the next day.
Pilgaokar was arrested after two of his juniors, who are already behind the bars, sang like canaries before the investigating agency.
The two cops, who were earlier arrested, are police head constables Sanjay Talkar and Udairaj Kalangutkar. They too have been suspended by the Goa Police.
The complainant Pruthvi H N, operating a paraglider-low panorama adventure sports activity at Keri-Pernem, with a valid registration certificate issued by the Tourism Department filed a detailed complaint to the Superintendent of Police of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Nelson Albuquerque about how he was harassed, directed to cough up protection money to carry on with his trade and how his para-glider and harness were taken away from a hillock without following the standard operating procedure.
Pruthvi also stated that to save their skin, the cops at the Tiracol Coastal Security Police Station manipulated the station diary and filed a false complaint against him.
In his complaint, Pruthvi narrated how Rs 10,000 was demanded by the police, to carry on with his trade every month or face a shutdown of his business.
Pruthvi stated that a negotiation was arrived at and the settled for Rs 8,000 through G Pay was transferred to Talkar’s cellphone number. He also shared a screenshot to the WhatsApp number of PI Pilgaonkar 7875756208 confirming that the e-bribe was paid.
Pruthvi was later directed by Talkar not to make payments via GPay in future.
On March 16, 2024, Talkar allegedly approached Pruthvi to pay the balance amount for the next two months and when the latter refused to do so, the head constable and another cop around 2.30 pm on March 22, 2024, came to the Paliem hillock and seized his para glider and harness.
Pruthvi then filed a complaint with the ACB based on the voice recordings and GPay transactions.
It is pertinent to note that a thorough investigation by PI Melito Fernandes under the supervision of SP Nelson Albuquerque and a tough Sessions Court order denying bail to police constables with Judge Sherin Paul directing the police to probe into the matter as it involved top officials has set the ball rolling with three arrests and many more under the police radar.
