Mapusa court remands accused to 8 days police custody
MAPUSA
The brutal assault on a 24-year-old tourist from Telangana in the early hours of September 16 has raised several unanswered questions for the Anjuna police, who are yet to establish the motive behind the crime.
According to police sources, the victim had reportedly gone to the residence of the accused, Sahil Sawood Hasan Bapu (23), around 4.30 am.
An altercation broke out between the two, during which Bapu allegedly struck the tourist on the head with a sharp weapon.
The attacker then chased the severely injured man down the main road near Avatara bar and restaurant, where the tourist collapsed, bleeding profusely.
Interestingly, it was the accused who alerted the police, following which the victim was first taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC), Bambolim.
The victim has since undergone surgery and remains critical in the ICU.
Police said Bapu, originally from outside Goa but residing in Chapora for several years, was arrested shortly after the incident.
He has been charged under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for attempted murder.
A Mapusa court has remanded him to eight days in police custody. However, the circumstances leading up to the violent clash remain murky.
Senior police officials admit they are unable to pin down the motive without the victim’s testimony.
“We are unable to get deep into the case and determine the motive of the attack yet. The accused has given his version, but we need the victim’s statement, which is crucial. At present, he is still in the ICU and unfit for recording,” Anjuna PI Suraj Gawas told The Goan.
Police are probing whether the assault was the fallout of a routine verbal argument or if there are deeper, more personal rivalries or connections between the accused and the tourist.
Locals in Chapora have also questioned why the victim visited the residence of the accused so early in the morning, suggesting that the two may have known each other prior to the incident.
While the police are tight-lipped on the exact nature of their relationship, sources hint that police are looking at possible links to nightlife-related disputes in the area.
For now, the probe hinges on the victim’s recovery and subsequent testimony. Until then, the motive behind this violent attack remains a matter of speculation.
