TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Among the more than 40 prisoners who were admitted to two government hospitals after the food poisoning occurred at Aguada Jail on May 31, was Goa’s notorious history sheeter Michael Fernandes, officials said.
Fernandes had complained of stomach ache and was admitted to Asilo hospital, along with 10 other inmates, sources said. Following the incident murder convict Mahadev Gaonkar died and more than 30 prisoners from Aguada Jail took ill.
While prisoners lodged in Mapusa judicial lock up were admitted to Asilo, ailing prisoners from Aguada were shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital. Security at both the hospitals was tightened to thwart any possible escape attempts by the prisoners.
Fernandes, known for jail breaks, was guarded by three constables –one armed and the two unarmed. “Three constables were there at his bedside round the clock which led him to protest and break some furniture in anger. He was then discharged,” a police source told Herald. The history sheeter, who has more than 38 cases pending against him in Goa and neighbouring states, was later lodged back at Mapusa lock-up.
Meanwhile, the magisterial inquiry into the food poisoning case is underway. Additional District Collector Dipak Desai has already begun conducting physical inspection of the Aguada jail and the mess, where the inmates cooked food and some of it was transported to Mapusa jail. The jail officials, prisoners lodged in both the jails, doctors and others will be quizzed.
The Food and Drug Administration, last week, submitted its report on the testing of five food samples collected from the mess, a day after the food poisoning incident. Three samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli (e coli) bacteria.
