PANJIM: In a scene straight out of a Bollywood movie, unknown persons opened fire on a stationary vehicle in Saligao on Tuesday.
At around midnight, a white car stopped near the ‘11 To 11 Bar and Restaurant’ and pumped at least 14 bullets into a Maruti Swift that belonged to one Deepak Arondekar. Arondekar and the Swift’s other occupants were in the bar at the time.
Eyewitnesses state that the assailants’ car, whose make was not identified, bore a license plate that ended in 0777.
According to Saligao police, the incident occurred at midnight. However, the Swift’s occupants gave different timings in their recorded statements as they were under the influence of alcohol.
Arondekar filed a complaint with the Saligao police station accusing one Praveen Prabhu of carrying out the attack. The police registered an FIR against Prabhu based on the complaint.
Saligao PI Rajesh Kumar said that Swift’s other occupants, Siddhu from Mapusa and Shekhar from Porvorim, have criminal backgrounds. A few cases involving them are pending before various police stations in North Goa. Sources at North Goa police headquarters informed that both were habitual offenders and involved in most of the district’s extortion cases.
A case was registered against Praveen under section 427 of the IPC and section 3 read with section 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. PI Kumar is investigating the case further.
Reliable sources state that Prabhu owns a famous restaurant at the Patradevi, while Arondekar and gang are known for not paying bills after having meals.
Meanwhile, Prabhu filed a counter-complaint at the Pernem police station on Tuesday night accusing Arondekar and gang of damaging his vehicle at the Konkan Kinara restaurant. The Pernem PI is investigating the case.
