At Curchorem church cemetery, accused replays his vandalism

QUEPEMrA day after his arrest, Francisco Pereira, the accused in desecration of religious structures in South Goa was on Sunday taken to the Guardian Angel Church cemetery at Curchorem to demonstrate how he caused the destruction.rPolice restarted their interrogation on Sunday morning and recorded the statement of the accused. Probability of involvement of others in desecration of religious structures is also being looked into, disclosed police officials.rIn the afternoon, the police under SP Arvind Gawas, DySP Raju Raut Dessai, Curchorem PI Shivram, Sanguem PI Sagar Ekoskar and other police officials visited the crime site along with the accused.rThe accused Pereira was asked to demonstrate how he conducted the vandalisation acts inside the cemetery at Curchorem. He explained how he damaged the cemetery focus light, then climbed the compound wall of the cemetery and cut the CCTV camera wires.rThe accused is also learnt to have explained how he damaged the main front cross of the cemetery and later how he vandalised the crosses, gravestones and niches.rIt was also revealed that on the night he committed the crime at the cemetery, the accused saw the police approaching the cemetery and he jumped over the compound wall and fled from the site. “The accused waited for about 45 minutes nearby the cemetery and then he left for home.rPolice sources further said the accused showed them 25 places where he had vandalised the religious structures, of which some complaints were filed. The accused showed no remorse or guilt for the acts carried out by him and appeared calm and composed while he was being taken to the site of crime.rMeanwhile, the accused also appeared defiant and said: “I may be sentenced to two-three years, but it doesn’t make any difference, as I will continue the acts once I am out of jail.” Meanwhile, Pereira was also taken to Pajifond where a road side Cross located on the Pajifond cross was desecrated.rThe police said that the accused himself showed the places where he had allegedly carried out the desecrations in Salcete taluka. Three crosses at Chandor, including the Alma Khuris, which was desecrated twice, besides two crosses at Loutolim and Margao, and one each at Paroda, Curtorim, and behind the Aquem Power house were desecrated in Salcete during the month and half.