the goan I network
PANAJI
Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik was, on Wednesday, deposed before the Panaji Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Artikumari Naik as a witness in a case of duping by one Vinod Desai.
In his deposition, Shripad denied that Vinod once worked in his office.
“Vinod was not working with me. I already gave it in writing to the police at the initial stage itself. I have repeated this in the court,” Shripad told the media outside the court premises.
Shripad said he further testified that his office had on September 26 last year written to the Old Goa Police that Vinod was not part of its staff.
In November last year, a youth Mervin Fernandes had initiated criminal proceedings against Vinod alleging that he was duped on the pretext of providing a government job
Mervin’s lawyer meanwhile, claimed another witness Shripad Bhosle has seen Vinod working with Shripad Naik and claimed that he has deposed before the court that he was working in Shripad’s house at Sao Pedro.
Bhosle has deposed that while promising his daughter a job in the Fisheries department, Vinod had taken an advance of Rs 1 lakh from him but refunded the amount after his daughter did not get the job.
Desai was accused of flaunting his connections with politicians and claiming he worked for Shripad had promised Fernandes a government job at the Secretariat on payment of Rs 6 lakhs. An advance of Rs 2 lakhs had already been paid, it was alleged.
Having failed to secure the job, Fernandes demanded a refund and Desai on June 28, 2017 had issued him a cheque of Rs 1 lakh which bounced.
Fernandes lodged a complaint at the Old Goa Police Station in September last year and Desai on being summoned handed over a cheque of Rs 3 lakhs as a full and final settlement but that cheque too bounced after which Old Goa Police registered an FIR under Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC.
