Brother identifies him with other name; GMC doctor calls for his documents
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM/TIVIM: Even as the police were unable to get hold of documents to conclusively identify the Nigerian murder victim, believed to be one Obina Paul Obiwesi, there is speculation that the victim could have been murdered for being an informant in a recent drug bust worth Rs one crore.
“Even though the brother of the deceased identified the body, a doctor at the GMC declined to conduct the autopsy, as he wanted the original passport and NOC from the Nigeria embassy to verify the name and address and also to identify the photo on the passport,” a police official said.
Speaking to Herald, the official revealed that the absence of his documents before conducting the post mortem would not stand in the court of law.
“His brother has come forward with a Xerox copy of his passport identifying him with some other name,” the official said.
A Mapusa police official told Herald that the autopsy has now been postponed to Monday.
“We have requested for the required documents from the Nigeria embassy, so that the autopsy could be conducted on Monday,” he added.
The identification process itself could take a little time to be completed before the post mortem can be conducted. Unless the body is conclusively identified, the evidences that result from the post mortem will not stand the test of trial and the case could fall flat.
While different theories are being floated regarding the cause of the attack on Obiwesi, yet another angle is being considered after sources revealed that in view of the recent Rs one-crore seizure of cocaine by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Goa Police, the victim may have been attacked as it was speculated that he was a police informant.
Police officials, however, have refused to comment on the issue saying that the investigation is in progress and that all leads that have come to light are being probed.
Meanwhile, the two Nigerians who were injured in Thursday’s clashes with the police and locals have made a speedy recovery and are likely to be discharged soon. The police have said that they will be arrested as soon as they are discharged from hospital. When contacted, DIG Kamal K Vyas informed that the police are taking the murder case at Parra and the Nigerian rioting case on top priority.
“There is a local drug gang involved in the Nigerian murder case at Parra and we are on the lookout for them and we will nab them soon. Regarding the rioting case in Porvorim, we have arrested 50 Nigerians and one from Ghana,” said Vyas.
Stung by criticism over their failure to tackle the riots involving the Nigerians at Porvorim on Thursday, most police officials have refused to divulge further information on investigations into the murder case at Parra and the riots at Porvorim.
Mapusa PI Tushar Vernekar claimed he was not authorised to provide any further information on the case, while Porvorim PI Shivam Vaigankar also told Herald that he could not provide any information on the two cases.
When attempts were made to contact Porvorim DySP Nand Kumar Raikar, he initially appeared willing to provide details into the case, until he was directed by North Goa SP Priyanka Kashyap to refrain from disclosing any details.
Towing a similar line, SP Kashyap told Herald that details regarding the cases involving the murder and riots could only be obtained from the PRO of police or the DIG. “I cannot provide any information on the cases,” Kashyap said.
