PANAJI
Amidst an ongoing blame game within the police department over the missing Delhi-registered Ford Endeavour, the silence of the scrap dealer from whom the vehicle was seized is deafening.
The department initiated an inquiry headed by Sub Divisional Police Officer Jivba Dalvi, but both the scrapyard owner and the department have remained tight-lipped about the current status of the vehicle.
However, it is learnt that the CCTV footage from the Colvale police station could provide the inquiry officer with a valuable lead. Sources have revealed to The Goan that a constable, who was transferred from a South Goa police station to his current place of posting around a month ago, has been making desperate attempts to shift the blame onto others.
The vehicle, with registration number DL3C AY 6511, was seized from the scrapyard owner, located between Colvale and Karaswada, for lack of valid documents. This happened in the first week of April, when a police sub-inspector, acting on a tip-off, verified the vehicle was without registration plates and abandoned in the scrapyard.
"The vehicle was attached for further inquiry and the scrapyard owner was asked to produce the necessary documents to have the vehicle released from the police station. Since he did not possess valid documents, we had to attach the vehicle as it could have been involved in any crime," sources said.
In the meantime, the chassis number of the SUV was used to obtain details from official records, but between the PSI’s refresher course and his return to the PS on June 20-21, the vehicle had vanished.
Sources told The Goan that it was at this time that the station diary entry was made, as the vehicle was no longer to be found within the premises of the police station.
However, the scrapyard owner’s silence has raised doubts about the whereabouts of the vehicle while the department has also chosen to remain tight-lipped on the entire controversy.
"The scrapyard owner could be summoned for inquiry but the CCTV footage could provide a valuable lead," the source said.
