NIA laxity lets accused get bail
HERALD REPORTER
VASCO, MAY 5
The National Investigating Agency’s (NIA) failure to file a chargesheet within the stipulated period led Vasco Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) on Wednesday to grant bail to the two accused, arrested on charges of planting improvised explosive devices (IED) at Sancoale on the eve of Diwali on October 16 last year.
The accused, Vinayak Patil (28) and Vinay Talekar (25), also accused in the Margao blast case, were granted bail in the Sancoale case, as the National Investigating Agency (NIA) failed to file the chargesheet within the stipulated period of 180 days.
Both the accused, who were arrested in October, have been in judicial custody since then and the NIA, who is investigating the case, failed to file the chargesheet till date, prompting the court to grant conditional bail to both accused.
Both the accused have been granted bail on surety of Rs 1 lakh personal bond with the condition that they would appear before NIA every day and would not tamper with the evidence. However, the bail will be of little relief to the accused, as
they have to be in judicial custody in connection with the
Margao blast case.
It may be recalled that the devices were placed in the cabin of
a mini truck carrying Narkasur effigy from Ponda, which was
stationed at Sancoale, about 100 meters from the Shantadurga
Temple, on the eve of Diwali last year.
The boys parked their vehicle and went to the temple to
register for the competition, when the driver noticed a parcel
in the cabin.
When no one claimed ownership of the parcel, the driver threw
it out and at that moment, happened to hear an unusual sound in
the parcel. The organizers became suspicious of the sounds and
alerted the police.
Verna police who were aware of the explosions at Margao rushed
to Sancoale and summoned the bomb disposal squad to diffuse the
devices.
