PANAJI
Shocking but true, the tiny State is home to over 200 criminals with extensive rap sheets. To make matters worse, the number has surged in tourist hotspots of Calangute, Anjuna, and the hinterland of Valpoi, not to mention the commercial capital Margao and the port town of Vasco.
Records of both the districts, exclusively with The Goan, also reveal a startling truth that around 70-75 percent have fallen back into their criminal ways after walking out of jail for previous charges.
Tarzan Parsekar, who attempted to kill Ravi Shirodkar barely 45 days after he returned to the north district on serving a six-month externment, and Ashish Gaonkar booked for the murder of Nigerian national Obado Uzoma Simeon in 2013; are new additions to the list in the jurisdiction of Anjuna police station.
The densely populated coastal destination, Calangute has the highest number of new history-sheeters compared to other places in Goa. Ex-Indian Navy personnel Ravikant Yadav, his business rival Gajendra (Chotu) Singh and gang members, and the alleged mastermind of the infamous attack on Souza Lobo restaurant Rajeev Arora are among 10 new miscreants added as history-sheeters in the tourist belt.
Yadav, who after absconding for around six months was arrested in a long pursuit by the police, is ironically underground following his bail in the last charge against him. The accused businessman with serious criminal offenses against him also has externment proceedings pending since January 8, 2022 subsequent to which the cops proposed to slap National Security Act against him on January 27, 2022.
“The fact that so many history-sheeters are rounded up indicates a much better surveillance over criminal elements by the police,” North District SP Nidhin Valsan said in response to The Goan’s query on the significant jump in criminals.
This rise is not restricted to the coastal belt but the hinterland and major business hubs in South Goa are also affected. While the list of criminals in Valpoi and Bicholim saw a significant jump within six months; Margao, Vasco and Ponda in the South district have reported the highest about 19, 16 and 15 history-sheeters respectively.
Valpoi and Bicholim, each of which had just one history-sheeter till last year, currently have nine and five respectively.
Among the nine accused, all have chapter cases against them including Hanumanth Parab who has around six FIRs and externment proceedings pending. In Bicholim too, all the five accused have several chapter cases against them with another facing trial in an externment proceedings pending since 2021.
As the list gets longer, a senior DySP in South Goa claimed that such persons can be a threat to the law and order situation in the State and therefore, the additions of new criminals are to ensure keeping a tab on them.
What's also interesting to note is that each of them is facing trial in a minimum of two cases
