the goan I network
MARGAO
The South Goa Sessions Court on Wednesday sentenced Police Sub-Inspector, Prasanna Bhagat to two years imprisonment under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act in the infamous 2011 Cabo-de-Rama drowning illegal gratification case.
The Court, however, has suspended the sentence for a month to facilitate the PSI to file an appeal in the High Court challenging the order holding him guilty in the case. PSI Bhagat was the police sub-inspector attached to the Cuncolim Police at the time of the incident in the year 2011.
While PSI Bhagat has been sentenced to one year imprisonment under section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he has been sentenced to two years imprisonment under section 13 (i)(d) of
the Act.
The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 on PSI Bhagat under the two provisions
respectively.
As reported earlier, the Sessions Court had earlier acquitted of the charges of extortion slapped against him by the police for allegedly putting fear into the students and parents that their children will be booked under section 304 of the IPC.
The Cuncolim police had registered the case against PSI Bhagat under section 7 and 13(i)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and under section 384 and 388 of the IPC on July 11, 2011.
It was the case of the police that a group of college friends had on July 8, 2011 proceeded to Cabo-de-Rama near the fort for a picnic. At around 3 pm, while they were standing on a rock to click photograph by the side of the Arabian sea, a huge wage hit the rock and pulled the young friends into the sea. One of them managed to swim ashore while three of them were struggling. One girl student was rescued. One dead body was found and other one was missing.
On July 11, the Cuncolim police station received a note from Sub-divisional Police Officer, Margao , appending therewith a note of SP, South, enclosing the complaint of Clyde Gomes, a resident of Colva against PSI Bhagat of Cuncolim police station complaining that on July 8 from 3.50 pm to 6 pm on July 9 at Cuncolim, the accused PSI while discharging his official duty and conducting enquiry/investigation into the Cabo de Rama drowning case allegedly accepted illegal gratification by putting into fear the student and their parents stating that he has to apply section 304 of the IPC against their children and will put them behind bars, who came to the police station for the purpose of enquiry into the drowning case allegedly demanded an amount of Rs one lakh.
During the investigation conducted by DySP Umesh Gaonkar, a search was conducted in the office room and rest room of the PSI and had also attached the Maruti Swift car under panchanama.
