PANAJI
With two dacoities, a double murder and months of public unease bearing down on North Goa, Superintendent of Police Harishchandra Madkaikar has taken charge as the first Goa Police Service cadre officer to lead the district in more than a decade. But the return comes with heavy expectations.
Speaking exclusively with The Goan, Madkaikar spoke about challenges, revival of beat policing and strengthening police-community connect.
“My first challenge is the Dona Paula and Mapusa dacoities, and the double murder in Saligao. There is sufficient progress made in these cases and it’s just a matter of time. We will bring these cases to a logical end,” he said while declining to disclose details given the sensitivity of investigations.
The robbery at Dona Paula -- in which an elderly, affluent family was restrained and their home ransacked -- saw its first arrest only six months after the crime. In Ganeshpuri, Mapusa heist at a doctor’s residence, two arrests followed. Police have acknowledged that the gangs involved include Bangladeshi nationals, with the prime accused still at large.
Then came the brutal double murder in Saligao earlier this month. Sound engineer Richard D’Mello of Guirim and his employee Abhishek Gupta of Madhya Pradesh were found murdered in a pool of blood.
Madkaikar said he has begun reviewing the briefings from investigating officers while simultaneously working to rebuild the basic structures of community policing. His immediate emphasis, he said, is on strengthening preventive measures, reviving the beat system and sharpening human intelligence. Restoring public confidence, he said, “cannot wait.”
With the festive and peak tourism season nearing, the new district SP is also moving to fortify the coastal belt and busy tourist corridors. The return of nearly 600 IRB personnel from election duty in Bihar has boosted manpower, and deployment is set to intensify.
“We will be strengthening deployment at strategic locations including tourist hubs, the coastal belt, picketing points, and nakabandis,” he said.
SDPOs and police inspectors have been told to comply with directives without delay.
At the same time, the verification of tenants, domestic staff and migrant workers will continue. “We will also strengthen our presence at the two major railway stations in the district to monitor the arrival of migrants and round up those under suspicion,” he said.
