PANJIM: Following a Herald report last Saturday, Valpoi Police have recorded the statement of Babani Gawade, a resident of Pisurlem-Sattari, who was supposed to accompany Shanu Gaonkar to Old Goa for a feast on the day he went missing.
Police sources confirmed that Valpoi Police have recorded Gawade’s statement following the Herald report.
Herald had reported that Gaonkar, who had left his house in Saleli at 6 pm on December 3, 2006, was to meet Gawade at Pirsurlem junction but never made it to the rendezvous.
In his statement to Police, Gawade said that Gaonkar had taken his (Gawade’s) bike to go home to change his clothes and return. He waited at the junction for long and then went home and inquired with Gaonkar’s family on the following day. He said he learnt that Gaonkar was missing on December 4, 2006.
However, he said he had collected the bike from Honda Police Out Post which was picked up by Police from a river at Amona where it had been dumped.
Police have so far recorded the statement of 30 witnesses in the case, following allegations made against BJP’s Poriem candidate Vishwajit K Rane by his former driver of killing Gaonkar in revenge for his elder brother’s death in December 2005.
Valpoi Police said Rane is yet to be summoned for questioning. “Currently we are verifying the allegations and crosschecking facts by recording statements of all possible witnesses in the case,” a Police Officer said.
