Team Herald
PANJIM: Disappointed with the Goa Police failure to solve the mysterious disappearance of Pallavi Jotkar, sister of Deepali and both alleged victims of convict Mahanand Naik, a South Goa-based women’s NGO has petitioned the State government to hand over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Bailancho Ekvott has sought that the central agency re-open the investigation into the disappearance of the girl, then aged 17, to ensure that the Jotkar family gets justice.
“We have been pursuing this (missing persons) case with the Margao and Maina Curtorim police stations but to no avail. Therefore our humble request that the missing girl’s case be transferred to the CBI, with an appeal to re-open investigation and unravel the mysterious disappearance of the young female since 2005 and her alleged connection with Mahanand Naik, the serial dupatta killer,” NGO chief Auda Viegas has said in a letter to the Secretary Home Affairs.
The letter, a copy of which is in possession of Herald mentions how Pallavi’s elder sister Deepali had also gone missing a year later and was then found dead.
“He (Mahanand) was associated with all four children. The parents are aware of this friendship. Both families visited each other. Mahanand was known to the girls Pallavi and Deepali prior to their disappearance,” Viegas had written to the Maina Curtorim police station in 2009.
In a subsequent letter to Margao police station in 2011 the NGO had said that Pallavi had taken part in a dance program at a Shiroda temple function organised by Mahanand’s wife Pooja.
With no breakthrough despite repeated reminders to the police, the NGO has now knocked on the doors of the government seeking a fresh probe by the CBI.
Herald contacted the local police stations for an update into the missing complaint of Pallavi, and the response was that she has not been traced.
Mahanand has so far served nine years in jail and is currently lodged at Colvale correctional home. His furlough for 21 days was recently opposed by women’s organisations and the lone survivor after which the surety had withdrawn his support.
