PANAJI
Agassaim Police have registered a murder case against unidentified persons following the death of Kharewada-based fishing boat owner Manjunath Harikant, whose body was recovered from the Zuari River on Monday.
The case was filed after a postmortem examination revealed a head injury, prompting investigators to suspect foul play in the incident.
Harikant was a small-scale fishing boat owner who had been operating from Kharewada for several years. The circumstances surrounding his death have triggered concern among fellow fishermen and boat owners, who suspect he may have been killed and his body dumped in the water.
According to members of the fishing community, Harikant was a familiar and well-liked figure among local boat operators. President of the All Goa Fishing Boat Owners Association, Jose Philip Dsouza, described him as a friendly and cheerful individual who was widely known within the fishing fraternity.
Boat owners have alleged that labourers working on Harikant’s vessel may have information about the incident. According to D’Souza, the boat had been anchored at the jetty late in the evening, after which the labourers allegedly left the area quietly without offering any explanation.
The mystery deepened when Agassaim Police began inquiries within the fishing community to identify an initially unidentified body recovered from the Zuari River, which was later confirmed to be Harikant.
