Team Herald

PANJIM: Gajanan Pawar, charged with murdering a 54-year-old casino employee, has been arrested from Kolkata where he was in hiding following the victim’s death on September 20.

Joseph Manuel Dias, an executive chef with a casino group, had collapsed on the ground after he was punched in his face by Pawar outside a supermarket in Old Goa on September 3. He died while undergoing treatment. Since then, the accused was untraceable as he fled to Kolkata.

Initially booked for causing grievous hurt under section 325 of Indian Penal Code, the local police then slapped section 302 (murder) IPC.

The family of Dias had this week released a media statement giving a chronology of the incident since it broke out on the evening of September 3. Joseph suffered internal bleeding leading to brain hemorrhage. He was operated the following day and was put on a ventilator, the statement had said.

Police said the investigation is in the right direction and the accused will undergo interrogation for the alleged offence. More details are awaited.