MARGAO
It’s official. Putting to rest all speculations in the gruesome murder of Margao-based jeweler Swapnil Walke on Wednesday last, Director General of Police (DGP), Mukesh Kumar Meena on Thursday firmly attributed the cold-blooded murder of the young jeweller to an armed robbery.
The DGP who visited the South Goa district police headquarters on Thursday noon to take stock of the murder probe and interact with the city jewellers and market traders, categorically told the media that thorough investigations have revealed that armed robbery was the sole motive behind the death of the jeweller.
“The motive behind the murder is very clear. The motive is an armed robbery. No other motive has come to light during the investigations and after interrogations of the accused persons”, he told the media in the presence of SP (South) Mahesh Gaonkar, Crime branch IO PI CL Patil and Margao PI Sachin Narvekar.
The DGP preferred to contradict the reports doing the rounds that there was some link between the deceased and the accused over disposal of stolen property. He said even experts and experienced investigating officials have interrogated the accused and they have reached the conclusion that the motive was purely an armed robbery. “We have analyzed the call details of the accused and the deceased. There’s no question of the accused disposing any property to the deceased. Poor man has been blamed by somebody. This is a false story somebody has floated. Now the motive is clear that it was an armed robbery”, he asserted.
Saying that the accused persons had surveyed a number of jewellery shops in the commercial capital, the DGP said “ultimately, this particular shop was finally zeroed in since this shop was on the side. The accused, however, was unsuccessful because of the scuffle and the fight”.
When questioned how come the accused persons opted to commit the robbery in a jewellery shop at Margao when they all hail from the North, where there are no dearth of jewellery shops, the DGP shot back “robbery can take place anywhere. One of the accused was putting up at Navelim and he had done the survey before short-listing Krishni Jewellers. They had done the survey for many days”.
To a pointed question whether the accused were known to deceased Swapnil, the DGP was clear in saying that investigations so far have revealed that the accused did not know the deceased.
Saying that only three persons have so far been arrested in the case, the DGP said Edson Gonsalves has not yet been arrested since his role in the crime has not come on record till date. He said the accused persons had earlier stolen a Bolero jeep from Dona Paula before using the same to commit the murder.
On the procurement of pistol used in the murder, the DGP admitted that the pistol was procured from Bihar, adding that two of the accused had gone to Bihar to get the weapon during the lockdown.
