PANAJI/VASCO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said Gautam Khattar, the YouTuber at the centre of the controversy surrounding his derogatory speech targeting St Francis Xavier at a Sanathan event in Vasco, will be arrested within next two days.
Sawant said police teams have already left the State to trace him and he will be arrested and brought back to the State.
"No one will go scot free by hurting the sentiments of the people of Goa in this manner," said Sawant while speaking to video-journalists on the sidelines of a beach volleyball event at Miramar.
An FIR has already been registered against Khattar, he said expressing confidence that the police will arrest him within two days and bring him to Goa.
Meanwhile, multiple police teams have been deployed to trace and apprehend Khattar after he was booked for making derogatory remarks.
According to highly placed sources, one police team was dispatched to Dehradun to track him down. The police team reached Khattar's house but he was not present there. The police team is conducting further investigation with the assistance of Dehradun Police at the likely places of his visit.
Goa police will soon issue a look-out notice across all airports to prevent him from leaving the country.
The probe is now focusing on securing the presence of the accused and compiling all relevant evidence, including video footage and witness accounts, as authorities step up efforts to move the case forward.
On Monday evening, Vasco police recorded detailed statements of key members of the Sanatan Dharma Raksha Samiti, the organising body of the event where the remarks were made. The statements covered the full sequence of events, including how the speech unfolded and the response from organisers present at the venue.
Investigators gathered inputs on the planning of the programme, the invitation extended to the speaker, and the steps taken once the objectionable remarks were made on stage.
These statements are expected to play a crucial role in establishing the chain of events and are likely to form part of the evidence, with the organisers expected to be cited as witnesses in the case.
