PANAJI
Charged with provocative speech, Gautam Khattar is expected to be brought to Goa on Sunday afternoon, with the Crime Branch (CB) preparing to formally arrest him upon arrival and seek his police custody before a local court.
Khattar was taken into custody by the CB sleuths after being detained by police in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. The CB team subsequently produced him before a local court there and obtained a three-day transit remand to move him to Goa.
Sources told The Goan that the CB had initially planned to fly him out on Saturday evening from Chandigarh airport, but logistical delays allegedly derailed the move.
"Completing the formalities took time including securing transit remand late Saturday afternoon. The team had little time to make it from Kullu to Chandigarh airport, despite tickets having already been booked for the same evening. With the road journey itself taking nearly five hours, the team nevertheless rushed towards Chandigarh and simultaneously explored fresh bookings on the next available flights to Goa," the source said.
Officials were weighing multiple travel options to bring Khattar to the State at the earliest. “As soon as Khattar reaches Goa, we will formally arrest him and produce him before the court for police remand,” the source added.
The YouTuber has landed in legal trouble over controversial remarks on Goa’s patron saint, St Francis Xavier. Protests across the State and multiple complaints culminated in the registration of an FIR, following which the case was transferred to CB.
