PANJIM: The Departmental Inquiry of the Inspector General of Prisons (IGP) concerning the murder of gangster Ashpaq Bengre in Colvale Correctional Home has indicted jail officials for lapses which led to the killing.
The report indicts the jailor and three jail guards and it (report) has been sent to the government, IG Prisons Elvis Gomes said and added that action will be taken once the government replies.
Bengre, against whom there were 19 cases registered in Goa, Karnataka and Punjab, was murdered on July 26. Another under trial, Vinayak Kurbatkar, allegedly involved in almost 13 cases in Goa and Maharashtra has been held for the murder. Sources said the jail guard in the section set aside for prisoners under trial did not stop Kurbatkar from entering the other section where he went to kill Bengre. Sources also said that even after committing the crime, Kurbatkar roamed freely inside the jail premises due to which Crime Branch is yet to recover the weapon.
“The weapon has not been recovered yet. The accused got ample time to hide the weapon used in the murder,” a Crime Branch officer said. He added that as per the accused’s statements, in their search for the weapon they have broken the toilet and flush tank but not found it.
Jail sources said that after committing the crime, the accused went to the under trial section and returned to the mess section wearing blood-stained clothes but no guard on duty stopped him. He later went to the mess where he sat and drank water. After almost an hour he was taken by a murder convict to the under trial section. The motive established for the murder is revenge and to take over Bengre’s alleged criminal activities.
