“We suspect it is a planned murder. He did not visit the spot where his clothes and other belongings were found; he was picked up from some other place, murdered and dumped in other side of the river,” said Lourdes Dias, Bismark’s sister-in-law.
She informed that Bismark spoke to her over the phone at 8 pm on Thursday night and said that he would come for dinner soon. She said, “Why would Bismark go to the bandh at that hour with two people who were never seen with him before?”
According Bismark’s elder brother Canady Dias, Bismark loved the bandh and he used to visit it for many years as he was a nature lover. He added, “He knows everything about that place; every corner, stone, and the water currents. I am not going to accept the possibility that he drowned.”
Canady also stated that Bismark used to give swimming lessons to youngsters in the same river, and hence, the police’s theory that Bismark drowned is false.
Bismark’s friend Jacinto Souza has urged the police to look into new mobile phone connections in St Estevem. “He used to always tell us that he is getting threats for fighting for social causes across Goa. He has even filed a complaint at the Old Goa police station, which needs to be verified.”
St Estevem local Nicoleth Fernandes could not believe that Bismark drowned at a place he use to visited often. He added that Fr Bismark knew his limits, and hence, the allegation of him consuming a lot of beer is false.
Another friend Manjunath Bhandari said he and Bismark had gone for swims together and he had seen how quick Bismark was in water. He added, “It is murder. He was taken to that place and killed.”
Bhandari claimed that Bismark never used to leave his mobile phone with anybody.
as a lot of documentation about the latter’s agitations was stored in there. He said it was not possible that Fr Bismark left his phone far away and went for a swim at night.
Bismark’s niece Eularia Silveira slammed Old Goa police for its “unprofessional” investigation in an important case. She said, “The police collected the evidence in a saree; no professional divers were roped in to trace the body, and no forensic experts came on time.”
