Team Herald
PANJIM: Facing a murder charge for allegedly killing jeweler Swapnil Walke, the jailed accused have also been booked for destruction of evidence for trying to burn their clothes after the crime.
Omkar Patil, Mustafa Sheikh and Evender Rodrigues have been accused of executing the killing of proprietor of Krishni Jewellers, Swapnil Walke, in daylight at Margao last week. While Omkar was picked by Crime Branch and handed over to Margao Police that initially investigated the case, Sheikh surrendered before the police hours later. CB, that later took over the investigation soon caught hold of absconding Evender.
After managing to rush out of the scene of crime, sources said, Mustafa and Evender drove to Dona Paula where they burnt their blood-stained clothes. It has also come to the fore that Omkar, Mustafa and Evender were travelling in the stolen Bolero car.
The CB team on Monday spent hours searching and collecting evidence for forensic examination even as the interrogation of the accused continued. Sources further revealed that the attackers zeroed in on Krishni Jewellers after several weeks of recce in Panjim, Mapusa and Margao. Investigation, prima facie, has found that the accused conducted a recce of several shops across the three places before nailing at Walke-run jewelry store.
“They were looking for targeting an isolated shop which could also fetch them good money or jewellery. After weeks of recce, they zeroed-in on Walke’s shop in August. They chalked out a plan and executed it on the fateful day,” the source said.
The CB team has stated that the case is still under investigation. “We are investigation the source of weapons used in the crime,” an official said.
Reports of ornaments stolen by the accused in the past and attempts to sell them at jewellery stores are also being looked at as part of the investigation.
Barely a day after CB solved the murder with detention of two accused on September 3, Director General of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena ordered transferring the case to CB from Margao Police. Senior Police Inspector C L Patil has been appointed to lead the investigation.
