PANAJI
While Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has once again stirred up a debate over crimes committed by ‘outsiders’, an increasing trend of locals’ brush with the law is a major concern in the State.
Goa police records indicate that a significant number of Goans are caught in various criminal activities across different crime heads. So also, the gang violence, both within and outside the confines of Colvale Central Jail, is often orchestrated by infamous criminals hailing from Goa.
One of these incidents was the St Cruz shootout in 2020, which was a result of rival gangs vying for supremacy. Among the 13 individuals booked for this offense, Zenito was identified as a key conspirator by the police while Marcelino Dias among others is charged with murder as their own gang member Sonu Yadav was accidentally killed in the attack.
Tarzan Parsekar and Vijay Karbotkar have been relentlessly trying to establish control in the jail while there are many Goan natives with a history of criminal offenses and pending National Security Act proposals.
In April 2023, The Goan newspaper extensively reported on the criminal records of several lawbreakers in the State. Among these Cardozo, often recognized as a troublemaker, has a long list of offenses including murder, attempted murder, extortion, threats, vandalism, criminal conspiracy, assault, and more.
Another criminal Alex Rony D’Souza has been slapped with the NSA. Other notorious criminals, Tarzan Parsekar, Satish Gawas and Hanumant Parab, Michael Fernandes, Vishal Golatkar, Suraj Shetye, Dominic Nazareth, and Akash Sawant, etc also exist.
The cold-blooded murder of a teenage daughter and her younger brother, and the subsequent suicide of their murderer father Joy Fernandes is a case that Goa has still not forgotten.
Indeed, non-Goans are too involved in the crime and most of them are the “residents” of this State. Ex-Indian Navy personnel Ravikant Yadav, his business rival Gajendra (Chotu) Singh and gang members, and the alleged mastermind of the infamous attack on Souza Lobo restaurant Rajeev Arora are among those, who have made Goa their second home, perhaps with an intention that they might get away after committing a crime.
Another aspect is the connection of property disputes as Sawant claimed that ‘Goans are involved in property matters and family matters (disputes)‘. But here’s a recent example where two local families -- Gaunder and Palyekar -- are implicated for allegedly killing one of their family members in Chimbel. It was a result of a family feud.
Consider some high-profile cases where young locals face charges of rape, murder, and even rioting. Exactly one year ago, Joel Vincent D'Souza, a resident of Goa, was apprehended by the Pernem police for allegedly raping a middle-aged British woman who was enjoying a day at the beach. Another local individual, Vikat Bhagat, is currently facing charges for the rape and murder of British-Irish national Danielle McLaughlin.
