The investigating officers in the Canacona case, retired SP, Sammy Tavares (middle) and former Canacona PIs Filomena Costa and Rajendra Prabhudesai.
MARGAO
Former Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Sammy Tavares has said that “sources” had helped the Canacona police zero in on accused Vikat Bhagat and crack the sensational 2017 rape and murder of Irish woman Danielle McLaughlin at Canacona.
Expressing satisfaction that justice is finally done to the deceased, Sammy, who then monitored investigation of the case as DySP, Quepem, said the Canacona police who was headed by then PI Filomena Costa managed to nab Vikat Bhagat within hours of the crime.
“Initially, the police were clueless of the brutal rape and murder of the Irish national. I even invoked the Almighty and prayed to St Anthony to help the police with the clue to nab the culprits. By noon, the police came to know through sources that Vikat Bhagat was not only found with Danielle, but was last seen with her before her murder,” he said.
Sammy recalled that the police were also fortunate to nab Vikat Bhagat within hours of the incident. “When our reliable sources told us that Vikat Bhagat was moving around with Danielle, we zeroed in on him. To our good luck, the accused was holed inside his house. When the family was not ready to open the door, we were almost bracing up to break open the door. But, the family finally relented and opened the door, where we laid our hands on Vikat,” Sammy recalled.
While then Canacona Police Station in-charge, PI Filomena Costa investigated the case, the matter was later taken to its logical conclusion by his successor PI Rajendra Prabhudesai.
