PERNEM
An altercation between two families over pet dogs took a gruesome turn when a youth from Delhi allegedly drove his car deliberately and fatally knocked down a 65-year-old woman at Junaswada-Mandrem late Friday night.
The accused, Deepan Batra (23), a native of Paschim Vihar, Delhi but residing at a Guest House in Sawantwada-Mandrem, has been arrested on charges of the murder of Maria Joao Fernandes.
According to North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal, the incident took place following a verbal and physical altercation between Fernandes and her family members, and Batra and his family members.
The accused had previously worked as a chef in Dubai and is presently working on a self-funded film project and staying in Goa since December 2023.
SP Kaushal stated that initial investigation revealed that while the accused was on a walk with his parents, he got into a verbal altercation with the victim’s son who objected over the dog being walked close to the victim’s house.
Soon, the arguments turned physical and blows were exchanged between both sides. These resulted in injuries being sustained to both the parties, with the hand of the accused allegedly having bite marks.
However, after the fight, the accused sat in the car with his parents, and is alleged to have deliberately hit Fernandes while she was trying to place a chair outside her home. The woman later succumbed to injuries.
Angry locals marched to the Mandrem police station and demanded action against the accused. Mandrem police later seized the car and arrested Batra under Sections 103 and 281 of BNS, 2023. The police also conducted a forensic examination of the scene of crime and the vehicle.
Shocked over the incident, locals in Mandrem also expressed outrage over the aggressive attitude of many tourists towards locals in the village.
A Congress delegation led by GPCC General Secretary Manisha Usgaonkar visited the Mandrem police station and demanded strict action against the accused, Batra.
Speaking to reporters outside the police station, Usgaonkar said there have been increasing crimes involving tourists and outsiders in the State.
Mandrem Block congress President Narayan Redkar said people had been happy when the Mandrem police station was set up and felt that crimes would be under control in Mandrem constituency.
“However, crimes have been on the rise. A few weeks ago, a local, Amar Bandekar, was allegedly murdered near a shack at Arambol beach and now, a senior citizen was allegedly killed by a tourist from Delhi,” said Redkar.
