THE GOAN | MAPUSA
By all accounts, Friday morning at the Saligao shopping complex looked like any other. Shopkeepers arranged their wares, customers strolled in and out, and the rhythmic clack of a carrom striker echoed down the corridor.
But one shop broke the familiar rhythm.
Shop No 14, “Music World,” was closed. Its shutter rolled down, padlocked tight.
To most, it seemed like just another day’s business break. To those who knew its owner, Richard D’Mello, the silence was chilling – because Richard would never open his shop again.
Quiet man in a noisy trade
Richard wasn’t one to make a fuss. He was known for quietly fixing sound systems and speakers. His gentle nature and reserved manner earned him quiet respect from fellow traders.
“He would come to our stationery shop when he needed something. Never talked much,” said a neighbouring shopkeeper, lowering her voice.
At Shop No 13, a group of young men continued their carrom game, their laughter subdued.
One of them paused long enough to describe Richard as “simple, calm – he never interfered with anyone.”
Morning visit, a chilling timeline
Local tailor Sitaram ‘Tato’ Mahale, who has his shop in the same complex, remembered seeing both Richard and his assistant Sonu Singh early that Thursday morning.
“Gupta came at around 9 am, placed something outside the shop and left without opening the shop,” he said.
“Others saw Richard near the shop earlier too,” he added.
That would be the last sighting of either man.
Hours later, their bodies were found in a tenanted room at Muddavaddo, Saligao – a few hundred metres away.
Neighbours who never knew
In the quiet neighbourhood where the crime occurred, neighbours admitted they barely knew their tenants.
“We knew the landlord’s son – everyone did. He used to create a commotion often. But about the tenants? We hardly knew they existed,” said one woman.
Sonu Singh, police said, stayed in one part of the house, while the landlord’s son lived in an adjoining room.
“We have no idea what happened, how, or when. We just woke up to the news,” said another neighbour.
Former sarpanch Martino Hipollo Da Silva, who lives near the crime scene, said police had collected CCTV footage from his house. “We were shocked. You never expect something like this in our area,” he said.
Rumours and old ties
In the absence of answers, whispers have filled the void.
A resident claimed Richard had once employed a man named Ali, who later opened a rival music repair shop nearby after a disagreement.
But the youths in the market were quick to clarify – “Ali left months ago.”
Still, in a small place like Saligao, every detail feels like a clue.
Unanswered questions
At the Saligao Police Station, officers declined to share details, only confirming that investigations were underway.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, meanwhile, stated that the police are “on the right track” and that arrests would be made soon. “The motive will become clear,” he assured.
But for now, the community is left with more questions than answers – and a lingering unease that refuses to fade.
Melody unfinished
For those who knew Richard, his shop was more than a business – it was a place where sound came alive.
Old speakers found new life in his hands and broken amplifiers regained their rhythm.
Now, only the metallic shutter bears silent witness to a man whose quiet world of music met a violent, untimely end.
