MAPUSA
After dilly-dallying for months and coming under intense pressure of civil society and political groups, Calangute Police have now registered the death of teenager Siddhi Naik as murder.
The 19-year-old Siddhi Naik from Nachinola died in mysterious circumstances and her body was found on Calangute beach on August 12, last year.
SP Shobit Saxena informed that an FIR has been registered under section 302 (as murder) of the IPC against unknown persons.
“It was felt that deeper and more thorough investigation on scientific lines is required in the case and therefore for further detailed investigation it has been registered as a case of murder so that all angles are looked at from the point of murder,” Saxena said.
The SP further informed that Calangute Police will continue to investigate the case.
“Calangute PI will conduct the investigation by reviewing and revalidating all earlier evidence and thorough investigation will be carried out,” he said.
Calangute Police had initially registered the case as unnatural death based on preliminary reports and circumstantial evidence.
The post-mortem report had also said that the death was due to drowning in water.
But the chain of events leading to disposing off the body in a hurry cast doubts in the minds of social activists and politicians who alleged that the girl was murdered and pointed to discrepancies in the autopsy report and circumstantial evidence.
The deceased girl’s father later lodged a complaint with the Calangute Police claiming that his daughter was drowned in shallow water and suspected that some unknown persons were involved in the murder of his daughter.
There were also demands from several quarters to handover the case to the CBI for investigation.
However, Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant had maintained that police were investigating the death of Siddhi Naik on merit and there was no need to handover the case to CBI.
Interestingly, the case was registered as murder by Calangute PI Nolasco Raposo on December 28 and on the next day he was placed under suspension for failure to check law and order situation in Calangute.
However, SP Shobit Saxena said that there was no coincidence over the registration of the case as murder and PI Nolasco Raposo’s suspension.
“Review of investigations is an ongoing process. Sometimes it is felt that it would be better and more objective to investigate some cases in certain ways and that is why it was registered as murder,” Saxena said.
