PANAJI
The ninth arrest in the Porvorim shootout has done little to answer the biggest question surrounding the attack -- why was Casino Majestic Director Shrinivas Nayak targeted? Forty-one days after he narrowly escaped the gunfire outside the Neo Majestic Hotel, the Crime Branch is still grappling with conflicting versions of the motive despite a series of arrests.
Gopal Naik, evading arrest since the August 28 shooting, was picked up from the Goa-Karnataka border late Wednesday night. After a tip-off that he was returning to Goa, the CB intercepted him at the Collem checkpost around 11.30 pm.
Police sources said Naik had disguised himself as a sadhu in an apparent attempt to evade detection. “We alerted police stations and checkposts along the state borders and stepped up vehicle checks, during which the team identified and apprehended him. He was later taken to the CB headquarters at Ribandar for questioning,” an official said.
Two men travelling with Naik -- Sushant Harijan and Ramdas Mirashi -- were also detained. Preliminary information suggests one is a taxi driver and the other is known to Naik. Their role in the shooting, or whether they helped Naik evade arrest, is being examined.
“Their exact role is being verified. We are examining whether they had any knowledge of the offence or had assisted Naik in evading the police,” the official added.
While evading arrest, Naik allegedly travelled to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Jagannath Puri in Odisha, where he apparently adopted the lifestyle of a sadhu. His alleged involvement surfaced during the custodial interrogation of Satish Shinde, another prime accused arrested earlier.
“On the night he returned to Goa to meet his family, police personnel who had already camped around his house nabbed him and took him into custody. He had disguised himself as a sadhu,” the CB said.
While a series of arrests have been made, the motive remains a glaring gap in the investigation. Sources said conflicting versions have emerged during the ongoing probe, leaving the CB without a definitive explanation for the attack.
“We are investigating all angles into this case, including the casino director’s purported requests for police protection before and after the attack on him. At the same time, the accused persons are being interrogated to ascertain the motive, their movements before and after the shooting, as well as links with accomplices,” the official stated.
