MARGAO: The relatives of the group of people who have abandoned the village of Gawal-Xeldem in Quepem and allegedly settled in the forest at Sulcorna, Sanguem, have no idea where the missing villagers have relocated.
Sources in the police headquarters have informed that the South Goa Superintendent of Police has sent a police team to track the group in the wild. The villagers are shaken and surprised by the sudden departure of the group from the village.
It was learnt that many people from across the State visited the leader of the group with hopes of getting their ailments cured and reportedly left happy and content. South Goa police will soon submit a report to the government on the whole episode.
Sources have also stated that the group has been living in Sonalli near Mollem, since last month. According to the Mollem Range Forest Officer, the group has set up a camp in the name of a youth association. These revelations have complicated the matter even further.
When Herald tried to speak with the villagers, they were hesitant at first, but later opened up; they stated that families began to lock and leave their houses in October. While leaving, they had taken all costly goods and food items with them. Their relatives are clueless about their whereabouts or their living conditions.
The Pixoto family, which is staying in Gawal Xeldem, stated that the people who vanished were followers of a peculiar sacred practice. Other than a few, the members of the Pixoto family did not indulge in the practice, said an old lady from the family.
“What happened that the people left the village and went away is something that their family members alone can alone tell. Thirty-six people from Gawal village have gone is what I know,” said local Panch Caitan Lima.
It was learnt from police sources that a group of people had been living in an area named Sonalli, which is on the way to Mollem. Surprisingly, RFO Kurtarkar has stated that the group has personally acquired permission from the Deputy Conservator of Forests in Panjim office under the guise of trekking in the jungle. He also said that he does not have information on the identity of these people.
When asked, Sonalli locals stated that excluding two houses, whose residents are caretakers of the local temple, nobody is allowed to stay in that forest to preserve its sanctity.
After staying in Sulcorna in November, the villagers had also reportedly moved to Rivona and later moved away from there too.
South Goa SP Shekhar Prabhudessai has informed that the issue of the vanished villagers had come up in the past, and accordingly, the police had conducted an enquiry. He stated that those people as well as the present group said that they have gone there for peace of mind. He also informed that the police are making a report of the episode and will soon submit the same to the government.
Sources from the village have informed that the missing group consists of people from other villages and all major religions. Another surprising thing is that a family which has stayed in the village for over 100 years has suddenly gone missing.
