PANAJI
The Goa government has suspended Superintendent of Police Edwin Colaco after a vigilance inquiry confirmed allegations that he had registered his birth and marriage in Portugal and travelled there for the process without informing the department.
The suspension brings to a head a controversy that has lingered around the senior officer for more than a decade. Sources said the alleged registrations were carried out between 2008 and 2010, while a police complaint was registered way back in 2014.
While the vigilance inquiry is understood to have substantiated the allegations, followed by his suspension, a detailed departmental probe is now underway to ascertain the full extent of the violations and determine further action.
“Vigilance has also questioned how an officer facing such allegations continued to be entrusted with sensitive assignments, including the Anti-Terrorist Squad,” a government source said.
Sources further revealed that an inquiry into Colaco’s alleged travel to Portugal had been initiated several years ago but failed to reach a conclusion. It is learnt that during a recent stage of the proceedings, when he was asked to produce his Indian passport, Colaco reported the document as lost and filed a complaint at the Old Goa Police Station.
The controversy surrounding Colaco dates back more than a decade. In October 2014, the Panaji Town Police registered a case against him while he held the rank of a Police Inspector, now-retired officer Jose Allen De Sa, several advocates and 500-odd others for allegedly acquiring Portuguese citizenship while retaining Indian citizenship.
The FIR was registered under provisions of the Foreigners Act, the Registration of Foreigners Act and the Passport Act. Police had then alleged that the accused had obtained Portuguese identity documents without surrendering their Indian citizenship, which attracted provisions relating to dual citizenship and foreign registration violations.
The government has not yet issued a detailed statement on the findings of the inquiry.
