PANAJI
In this tiny State where nefarious criminals have been a persistent thorn in the side of law and order, scores of repeat offenders were given a reprieve when their externment proceedings were dropped. Some of these decisions, in recent years, caused quite a stir, yet eventually faded into obscurity.
For years, more than 200 repeat offenders have been a constant source of trouble for the police. Nearly 25 individuals with a history of criminal activity are currently undergoing externment proceedings that will be decided by the respective District Magistrates, but the discharging of some did raise eyebrows.
As per the data available with The Goan, while over 20 history-sheeters in the North District are facing the externment proceedings, few of which are pending for over a year; the count in South Goa is five.
Despite facing the prospect of being externed from the district or State, many of these hardened criminals remain shockingly active and continue to flout the law with brazen disregard. Though, as per the police, to crack down on criminal activities, the accused are being slapped with chapter cases, leaving them with little room to manoeuvre.
But what’s striking is that a staggering 33 cases of externment have been dropped in South Goa till date. Out of 74 cases initiated at the District Magistrate, a maximum of 10 criminals from Margao were booked under this charge followed by nine each in Cuncolim and Fatorda, and eight in Verna. While only four “ Sairaj Naik alias Sona, Kabu alias Ismail, Ashpak Shaikh, and Hussainsab Raichur Shaikh were externed, 32 cases were “bound down” and five cases are pending hearing with the magistrate.
While in the North where 20-odd cases are still being heard, troublemaker Zenito Cardozo had recently managed to get his externment order reversed through High Court’s intervention in January 2022.
Having a string of offences from murder, attempted murder, extortion, threat, vandalism, criminal conspiracy, assault, etc against him; it was in November 2022 that North Goa Collector Mamu Hage imposed Rs 2 lakh bond for good behaviour while dismissing the case by Goa Police. The Old Goa local also managed to get the stringent National Security Act dropped against him whereas another criminal Alex Rony D’Souza has been slapped with the Act.
Other notorious criminals, Tarzan Parsekar, Vikas Rathod alias Luka, Gajendra Singh alias Chotu, ex-Navy personnel Ravindra Yadav (also facing NSA charge), Satish Gawas and activist Hanumant Parab among others are facing externment proceedings. At least until last year, infamous gang members Vishal Golatkar, Suraj Shetye, Dominic Nazareth, Asif Ali, Akash Sawant, all in the jurisdiction of Old Goa police station, also faced externment proceedings.
With over 20 cases against him, Deepak Arondekar, a taxi driver, is facing new externment proceedings. These individuals remain ‘active’ in criminal acts, as per fresh police records.
