PANAJI
Once labelled as the mastermind behind the Assagao house demolition and accused of executing a well-planned strategy, Pooja Sharma’s legal troubles seem to have taken a turn.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch (CB), which had vehemently opposed her anticipatory bail and levelled these charges during the arguments, is reportedly reconsidering its stance.
Sources, closely monitoring the investigation, revealed to The Goan that Sharma might not be named in the chargesheet although she was thoroughly interrogated by Crime Branch officers for a couple of days starting July 22. The controversy and her interrogation coincided with the monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly when the Opposition benches demanded strict action.
Sources said that the sleuths have allegedly not found sufficient evidence to implicate Sharma -- wife of an intelligence officer posted in South East Asia -- at least in three months of investigation so far.
Contesting the anticipatory bail plea filed by Sharma in July, the Crime Branch submitted to the Session Court that she masterminded the eviction of Pradeep Agarwadekar and his family from their home, hired goons and an excavator to demolish the structure.
“The offense committed by the applicant (Pooja Sharma) is serious wherein goons were hired by the applicant accused to demolish complainant’s (Agarwadekar family) residential house in broad daylight using excavator machines and bouncers. The offense has instilled fear in the local community and disrupted peace and tranquillity,” read the nine-page submission.
The Crime Branch had also sought to investigate her to probe the source of money paid to the hired bouncers.
But as the investigation is still underway, sources claimed that a chargesheet is likely only after a month or two and all the other six accused including alleged conspirator Arshad Khawaja, operator Pradeep Rana, bouncers Shaheeh Saudagar and Shalan Kallappa Morekar, Bismilla Gorgundangi and Ashpak Sheikh could be named as accused. "It will be submitted in the Court only after it goes through legal opinion," the source said.
The investigation team was also probing the alleged reconciliation between Sharma and the Agarwadekar family after the FIR, along with documents related to property ownership and other related details.
What began as a civil dispute on June 22 snowballed into a major issue that even saw the transfer of then Director General of Police Jaspal Singh and the suspensions of three police officers including Police Inspector Prashal Desai.
