The Goa police has an ignominious history of its meninvolved in drug peddling and selling, stealing drugs from godowns and sellingthem, killing people in custody, forcing victimised sex workers to have sexwith them in police jeeps and police stations. It however has further hidden talents that Goa had unfortunately missedall these years. It can be a friend indeed of murderers and help them incovering the murder.
This amazing show of solidarity between alleged killer andcop has been on display in Anjuna. It’s a thrilling story. Ubaldo Fernandes, abutcher and seller of pig meat, befriended a woman who was his neighbour andslipped into her house as a live-in. Onefine day, he killed her due to an unknown motive, barring that he was ‘impulsive”. After the alleged killing and even before heit, he made trips to the neighbours to tell them that his girlfriend wasunwell. When neighbours found her dead, the boyfriend, instead of going to thedoctors returned with two policemen who promptly summoned one doctor to embalmthe body and the other who said she died of asthma. That became the policeversion as it readied itself to perform the final rites, not of the victim butof the case itself. It is the heroism of the neighbours, brave souls of Anjuna,that prevented the burial of the truth.
The shocker in this case is that the Anjuna PI Vishwas Karpebecame the agony uncle cum protector of killer on the run. He protected him byactually being a co-conspirator in spinning a lie about the cause of death andtrying to embalm and bury the body. They joined hands with two doctors whoserole needs to be thoroughly investigated and action taken. But a cover up bydefinition is good only when it has layers. When winter sets in a thin cottonsheet doesn’t do. Layers of quilts and blankets keep the body warm andunexposed. Vishwaas Karpe had his DySp Serafin Dias who probably blinked, an SPNorth who didn’t take interest and Director General of Police who is too fardetatched to realise that he has a force that is losing credibility, but isalso weakened due to men being suspended or investigated.
In a state, a small as ours but very intense and problemridden, you can’t continue with more than half of your force being discreditedfor breaking the law and some more responsible for protecting those who rapethe system. Anjuna though, seems to be in the shady hotlist of police stationswhere everything that could go wrong with the police does go wrong. Theinvolvement of cops in drug cases, their antics of blackmailing and extortingmoney from both innocent and criminals and allowing irregularities andillegalities to go on in partnership with the panchayat and powerful locals, isthe staple diet of this police station, which has in its honour role,organising an “item” dance performance in its premises, when it was renovated.
There is a macro reason for this mess, which no ChiefMinister has taken cognisance of, because it suits them. It’s the only forcewhich turns the ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ theory upside down. Policemen andofficers posted for years become a party to the greed, avarice and corruption.When the police acts as a partner in crime, law and order becomes the domain offools.
It is this cosy cronyship that allows someone like VishwasKarpe to be in charge of a murder investigation after he has clearly helped themurder accused by giving a false cause of death, making the murder weapondisappear, not seize the blood soaked clothes of the victim on time and allowDr Aurita Madeira get rid of her own death report it protect not just her butthemselves as well.
There is no time to waste her. Vishwas Karpe should be onthe court of the accused and not be on the court of the investigator. His handsare not clean. The stains are visible and if there is even a fading hope thatthe uniformed force in Goa has a credible place Karpe must be sidelined andarrested if the evidence becomes completely conclusive. The Goan has foundenough to say it is, but we shall let the police or whatever is left of it doits job.
If Anjuna today it what it is, it is largely because ofpeople who call themselves the police.
