Mrs Shanu Gaonkar still believes that her ‘lost’ husband, lives… ...but hope is fading and turning to anger, as suspicion of his murder grows

Vanita Gaonkar, who is in her mid 50s, is still not ready to believe that her husband Shanu Gaonkar may be no more. She dresses like a married woman wearing ornaments, signifying her marital status.

In an incident on December 28, 2005 landlord Prithiviraj Rane lost his life in a mob attack. Shanu Gaonkar went missing on December 3, 2006. His body has not been found till date and Vanita continues to reside in the same village with her three children in a joint family. Now, in the viral video, the driver of Prithiviraj K Rane’s brother has accused his ex employer of killing Shanu Gaonkar. The brother is Vishwajeet Krishnajirao Rane, BJP’s Poriem candidate in the 2017 elections and a long time rival of the other Congress, Ranes’, Pratapsingh and Vishwajeet Rane.

After five years of her husband’s disappearance, she decided to work in a private company as she had three young children to look after. All three children are going to school.

She still believes justice will prevail.“I feel we will get justice. We have waited for the law to take its course. We believe in law enforcing agencies and the judiciary of our country,” Vanita said.

She was speaking after the case was reopened by Police following an allegation made against Vishwajit K Rane that he (Rane) had killed Shanu Gaonkar.

It may be recalled that the former driver of Vishwajit K Rane, Pandurang Arthalkar alleged in a video that Rane had killed Shanu at Step Inn bar near Saleli village and disposed the body with the help of his associates. He has also claimed that Rane had killed Shanu to avenge his brother’s (Prithiviraj Rane) murder. However, Shanu was neither charged nor involved in the murder case.

But he (Shanu) was wanted in a rioting case which took place post the murder in which almost 103 people were rounded up by Police for attacking them and damaging their vehicle.

Krishna Gaonkar, elder brother of Shanu, recollects the fateful day when Shanu left the house at around 6 pm for Old Goa for the feast of St Francis Xavier. 

His friend Babani Gawade was waiting for him at the Pissurlem junction to accompany him to Old Goa.

He said that if something had happened to Shanu it would have happened in the period he travelled from his residence till the Pissurlem junction where his friend Babani was waiting for him to proceed to Old Goa.

In the four-kilometre distance from Shanu’s house in Saleli to Pissurlem junction (Wadakaden), falls Rane’s residence, his cashew factory and also the Step Inn Bar.

Krishna Gaonkar recalled that Babani, after waiting in vain for Shanu at the Pissurlem junction, then came to Saleli in search of Shanu and realised some foul play had prevented his friend from reaching his place.

“We searched day and night for the next several days in the locality and everywhere but there was no trace of him. No one saw him,” Krishna Gaonkar recalled.

The motorcycle, on which he had left for Babani’s house to go for the feast, was found in a river at Amona from Marcel side, but the extensive search in the river basin for many days turned futile. “We have even searched the temples, ashrams, all holy places in the state as well as neighbouring states for almost a year. After not making any headway we were tired but we haven’t lost hope and we are waiting to know what may have happened to Shanu,” Krishna says.

But some family members are preparing themselves for the worst. “Now we believe someone had killed Shanu. We never suspected Rane and his role behind disappearance of my brother,” he adds.

“If he is not alive and if the allegations are true then something would have happened between Saleli to Pissurlem junction,” Krishna said while not ruling out any possibility of murder.

Krishna is working with PWD whereas two younger brothers are involved in farming activities in the village.

For Shanu’s family December 3 was and continues to be a dark day, when the rest Goa celebrates feast of Goencho Saib (St Francis Xavier). The reopening of the case and the video has made it even darker.