A Mapusa Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court on Thursday extended the police custody of Roshan Redkar, former sarpanch of the Arpora-Nagoa village panchayat, by another six days in connection with the Birch fire case.
The court granted the extension after the police sought additional time for further interrogation, citing the need to probe Redkar’s alleged role in the incident. Redkar was produced before the court upon the expiry of his earlier remand.
In a related development, the same court remanded former Arpora panchayat secretary Raghuvir Bagkar to 12 days of judicial custody.
Bagkar was arrested in connection with the same case and was sent to judicial custody although police demanded further extension of his police custody.
During the course of the probe, the police widened the scope of the investigation to examine the role of panchayat officials, past approvals and compliance with statutory norms.
Police have maintained that custodial interrogation is necessary to verify documents, trace decision-making processes and establish individual accountability in the matter. Further investigation in the case is ongoing.
