CANACONA
The forest guard hailing from Ponsuleammoll-Cotigao, who was reported missing while on duty at the Cotigao wildlife sanctuary, was located in Pandarpaur-Maharashtra, but the incident sparked off violence in Cotigao.
His disappearance had upset many locals in Cotigao and a mob stoned the forest office at Hathipal Animal Rescue Centre and later damaged forest property in Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary after accusing the forest department of an indifferent attitude.
After going missing from his place of duty at Bela Hedumol Forest Gate in Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday after 11 am, the missing forest guard Yogesh Velip (30) responded to a WhatsApp message at about 11 pm Monday.
This led police to his location in Pandarpur (Maharashtra) and a Canacona police alerted their counterparts in Maharashtra.
Velip was kept at the Pandarpur Police Station, while a team of two Canacona policemen, forest officials and some residents left in two vehicles for Pandarpur after Monday midnight to bring back the forest guard, a resident of Ponsuleammoll in Khotigao.
According to Canacona PSI Swadesh Desai, a police team had already left for Pandarpur and was expected to return late Tuesday night.
It was, however, unclear how and why Velip landed up in Pandarpur.
VIOLENCE AT COTIGAO
As search operations were underway to trace the missing forest guard, many locals from Cotigao accused forest officials of failing to show interest and urgency to trace Velip.
A group of angry locals assembled at the forest office in the Hathipal Animal Rescue Centre, the entry point of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, on Monday.
According to family sources, Yogesh was last seen at about 11 am on Saturday, but failed to return home for lunch.
When he did not return home till Saturday night, worried family members alerted the forest officers at Hathipal and the Canacona police, before they began a search in the nearby forests areas close to his place of work.
Velip’s motorcycle was found along with the key, while a bag and a wallet containing an ATM card were found at the gate, where he was on duty.
Hundreds of villagers gathered in the village since Saturday night and went about in different directions in search of him, before assembling outside the forest office at Hathipal.
Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes and ex-minister Ramesh Tawadkar along with the locals confronted the forest officials about his whereabouts.
Upset over the replies provided by forest officers, the angry locals stoned the Forest Office at Hathipal, while some others went on a rampage and damaged forest property, especially the Forest billboards and signboards erected in the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, sources said.
By Monday evening, around 25 forest officers and policemen formed different groups along with locals and took on search missions in the forests, but there was no sign of the missing forest guard.
There was, however, much cheer when locals were informed that Velip had been traced in in Pandarpaur-Maharashtra and that, he was being brought back to Cotigao.
