PANAJI: Following the brutal assault on tourists at Romeo Lane nightclub in Vagator, Goa Police will meet hospitality stakeholders to ensure unruly customers are handled safely and legally, said DGP Alok Kumar. The victims, including young women from Varanasi, were attacked by club staff on Sunday afternoon.
“Sometimes intervention is required, but beyond a point, the police should be involved. Taking the law into your own hands is unacceptable, and legal action will follow, as has been done in this case,” DGP Kumar said while speaking to reporters today. He added that North Goa SP Rahul Gupta has been tasked with meeting shack owners, club managers, hotels, and guest houses ahead of the tourist season to clarify proper protocols..
Speaking about another recent case, DGP Kumar described an incident in which a UP native was murdered by a Goa rent-a-car owner for taking the rented vehicle across the border, thereby committing a theft. “If someone provides false information, it signals wrong intentions. Honest people never give a fake identity. Police and transport authorities must work together to prevent such incidents,” he said. He also emphasised the need to track perpetrators of theft from taxis and cab owners, noting, “The police are capable of tracking offenders; if they can do it in Sindhudurg, why not here?”
Citing law enforcement successes, DGP Kumar said, “Last week, a person connected to Dawood Ibrahim was caught in Goa. The NCB conducted investigations in Mumbai and made arrests. It is not that there was no activity run from Goa. We are thinking of ways to track such criminal elements who visit here.”
On internal policing, DGP Kumar addressed ongoing inquiries such as the Margao custodial assault. “We’ve terminated many officers involved in criminal activities. In the Margao custodial case, the inquiry is ongoing, and punishment will be proportionate. We have around 7,000 officers, and not everyone is involved in wrongdoing. It should not be that wherever there is a mistake, the person is automatically punished. Any illegal activity is dealt with severely,” he said.
He also highlighted the positive work of the force, stating, “We honour around 50 officers every month for exemplary service. Our police are doing an excellent job day and night, and their good work needs to be recognised.”
