Police preparing fresh list of history-sheeters

Team Herald

PANJIM: Goa Police are likely to revise the list of people with a criminal background and crackdown on them. As per the data shared by the department, there are 161 history-sheeters – 67 in the North and 94 in South – besides 2091 ‘bad characters’ identified.

“We will prepare a fresh list of criminals. The data will be shared with the government, all police stations as well as counterparts in the neighbouring states,” a senior police officer told Herald. 

In view of the attack on Mumbai tourists by four persons, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had sought extensive information and statistics on individuals and groups of persons with a history of creating disturbances and indulging in acts of violence in the State. He had also directed the police to take strict action against history-sheeters on priority. 

Lawrence Dias, Vishal Golatkar and Suraj Shetye were arrested for attempting to kill the tourists during a fight that broke out between them over a petty issue at Merces on Wednesday. The fourth accused, Sai Kundaikar, who managed to escape, has moved the court seeking anticipatory bail and a hearing is scheduled on Monday.

In the last over five years, police submitted 12 externment proceedings to the North Goa Collectorate. Of these Cleofas Fernandes alias Kempha has been externed and seven cases are pending hearing. 

As per details available with Herald, two cases of Shailesh Garad and Kempha (in another case) were dropped on August 19, 2014 and November 17, 2014 respectively whereas the case against Omkar Palyekar was dismissed on April 7, 2017. Palyekar is one of the accused in the murder of Nigerian Obodo Uzoma Simon in 2013, an incident that sparked unrest in the State and a diplomatic row, and another case of attempt to kill officials of the Indian Air Force at Vagator in 2014.

The 12th case, against gangster Ashpak Bhengre, has been discontinued after he was killed by a fellow inmate Vinayak Karbotkar at Central Jail, Colvale in June 2016. Earlier this year, Karbotkar was also killed in a fight that broke out between two groups at Sada sub jail.

On the other hand, ‘preventive cases’ against 1296 offenders under Section 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (security for keeping the peace in other cases) and another 19 under section 110 CrPC (security for good behaviour from habitual offenders) are pending before the sub divisional magistrate. 

As per details available with Herald, another 31 cases under section 109 CrPC (security for good behaviour from suspected persons) have been dropped.