TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Panjim police have not ruled out murder in the hit and run which claimed the life of a 50-year-old male at Caranzalem in the wee hours of Saturday morning, with the emergence of new evidence.
Alexander Rodrigues was hit by an unidentified vehicle at about 1:15am while he was on his way home to Taleigao. The killer vehicle escaped without detection with the police still groping in the dark to trace the accused driver.
The police registered a case of hit and run against the unknown driver but a complaint by Marcelin, brother of the deceased, has added a new dimension to the investigation. Marcelin, in his complaint to the Panjim police station, has alleged that Alexander’s death was a planned killing.
Police Inspector Rajendra Prabhudesai said a preliminary investigation shows that the victim was slapped by one of his friends at a bar in the same locality.
“There was an altercation between Alexander and his friends outside the Sea Moon Bar. He was slapped by one of his friends (now turned suspects) but he left from there. Some 20 minutes later, one of the friends received a call that Alexander met with an accident,” the officer said.
The police managed to lay their hands on CCTV footage showing him passing through the Caranzalem road on his old Vespa scooter. But in what could be a set back, the CCTV could not capture the accident.
Alexander was employed in the Electricity Department at Porvorim division, while his wife who works abroad, arrived Goa Sunday.
The officer said statements of the friends are being recorded while one of them identified as Sohail will be asked to appear before the police on one of these days.
“Soon after the accident, he went to visit a religious place outside Goa. He will record his statement once he is in Goa,” the officer said. Sohail is expected to be back by Tuesday.
Prabhudesai said they have called for call details of all the persons linked with Rodrigues. “If there is evidence sufficient to arouse suspicious into the death, murder section will be added to the existing FIR,” he added.
As per the post mortem report, the victim suffered blunt impact injuries in the frontal head and face. Police said the scooter was not damaged much. Witnesses are being examined in the case.
