Relatives link murder to land dispute; refuse to accept body until arrests; 14 workers detained
Police officials visit the crime site at Varcha Wada, Morjim, to investigate the incident.
PERNEM
In a shocking incident, a 63-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Varcha Wada, Morjim, on Wednesday afternoon.
Insisting that Umakant Khot of Varcha Wada in Morjim was murdered in connection with a land dispute and construction activity, family members have refused to accept the body till the accused are arrested.
Police later detained 14 workers in this connection.
According to reports, Umakant Khot would regularly go to inspect his tenanted property and had gone on a similar visit at about 1.30 pm on Wednesday.
Relatives claimed that Khot had complained to authorities about land-filling activity on his tenanted property.
The relatives said Khot is suspected to have confronted some persons at the site and he was severely assaulted in the process. He was later taken to the Tuem Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Speaking to media persons, relatives said they would not take possession of the body until the accused are arrested in the connection.
“Khot had been claiming that the landlord had sold the land without taking him into confidence and construction activity had been underway by workers at the site. He had also filed complaints in this connection, but no action had been taken in the matter,” said a relative.
Mandrem police registered a case and detained 14 workers as part of investigations into the death of Khot.
Relatives mentioned that a number of non-Goans have been buying up property in Morjim and were involved in construction activity. They claimed that many bouncers have been stationed at these construction sites and target those opposing the construction activity. The relatives believe that Khot may have been beaten to death for confronting those engaged in the construction activity.
The killing of Khot has shocked the community in Morjim, with many claiming that this was the first time in the history of the coastal village that a senior citizen had been murdered over a land dispute.
Later, North Goa SP Rahul Gupta, DySP Salim Sheikh and Police Inspector Virendra Naik visited the crime site and took stock of police investigations.
“Investigations are underway. The picture will become clear after the post-mortem report and the accused will be caught,” SP Gupta told media.
