TEAM HERALD
PANJIM Police have pulled out all stops to serve the arrest warrant on former RDA Minister Francisco ‘Mickky’ Pacheco after the Margao Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) issued non-bailable arrest warrant against him on Thursday. The police has formed a five-member team to trace his whereabouts and also alerted airports across the country to ensure he does not leave for foreign shores.
A team of Vasco police has also been deployed outside the Dabolim airport to pick him up in case he lands. Mickky has to serve a six months jail sentence after being convicted and losing appeals for assaulting a government servant on duty.
The flamboyant former minister was supposed to land in the state last night. However, he did not do so.
Meanwhile the team, comprising two police inspectors and three head constables and constables, will be leaving to an ‘undisclosed destination’ to locate the Nuvem legislator.
“We have received the non-bailable arrest warrant order of the JMFC based on which, we are taking steps to comply with the directions. A look out circular is issued all over,” South SP Shekhar Prabhudesai, who is supervising the entire exercise, told Herald. Meanwhile, Pacheco’s residences and offices are also being searched.
The RDA minister had resigned from the Goa BJP cabinet after his appeal against his conviction for slapping a government servant on duty in 2006 was thrown out by the Supreme Court.
The minister was inducted in state cabinet on November 8, 2014, after then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was elevated to the post of Union defence minister. Pacheco, MLA of regional political outfit Goa Vikas Party (GVP) had extended his support to the BJP-led government during March 2012 general election.
Pacheco was given RDA and Archeology and Archives portfolio in the state cabinet.
The GVP heavyweight ran out of options after the Supreme Court dismissed his petition seeking to stay the conviction order by Goa Bench of Bombay high court for slapping a government servant on duty. As per the order the minister will have to undergo six months imprisonment.
However, Pacheco has already filed a review petition before the apex court. Also sources say that he is also moving an appeal before the High Court on Monday, next week, seeking time till disposal of revision petition before he surrenders to the authorities.
An FIR was lodged on July 15, 2006 by Kapil Natekar, a junior engineer of the government’s Electrical Department, against the then minister Pacheco, alleging that he was abused and slapped by the legislator in his chamber.
