PANAJI
Five months after a double murder in Saligao, the Goa Police said on Monday that they had arrested prime accused -- a tech-savvy -- who had eluded arrest for months, tracing him to Odisha through what officials described as a sustained, multi-State operation driven by technical surveillance and intelligence inputs.
The accused, Jagannath Bhagat, a native of Odisha who had been living in Chhattisgarh, was apprehended in Cuttack after evading arrest since November 2025, when a local sound engineer and brother of a Trinamool Congress leader, and his associate were found dead inside a rented house in Saligao.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, SP Rahul Gupta described him as technologically adept and capable of avoiding detection for months.
Details shared by the officer revealed that Bhagat had training in basic electronics, computer hardware and networking in Odisha, chip-level mobile and laptop repair in Karol Bagh, Delhi, and motor rewinding.
SP Gupta said Bhagat was brought to Goa in October 2025 by one of the victims, Abhishek Gupta, after responding to an online advertisement for work. Bhagat had been employed to provide technical services to local establishments on a monthly salary.
The case dates to November 6, 2025, when Richard D’Mello, the sound engineer who ran a sound equipment servicing business, and Gupta, his employee and a native of Indore, were found dead at a residence in Muddawado, Saligao. Both men had suffered fatal injuries from a sharp-edged weapon and were found in a pool of blood.
SP Gupta said the accused fled Goa soon after the killings. Multiple teams were deployed across Goa, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Delhi and Mumbai, but he remained untraceable for months. "Coordinated efforts by the Crime Branch, local police and cyber units eventually produced technical and financial leads that helped track his movements to Odisha, where he was arrested following raids on suspected hideouts," the officer said.
"Preliminary interrogation indicated that the killings were triggered by disputes over unpaid salary, food expenses and living conditions. The accused had been staying at the same premises as the victims and that tensions had escalated over remuneration and accommodation arrangements," he said.
