Sandesh Prabhudesai
10 March 2000
She was chopped over hundred times all over her body by her husband with a koita (chopper), stripping her down and tying her up to a chair in a closed room of their house, till she breathed last.
Her screams gathered not only the neighbours but even the police and the fire brigade. But all remained mute spectators for over two hours, for the simple reason that the enraged husband was throwing empty bottles at anyone who was trying to come in for his wife's rescue.
Francisco Tome Carvalho, the 38-year old clerk working at the Mormugao Port Trust in Vasco, has been now arrested for killing his 35-year old wife Marcelina, also working at the MPT. They leave behind two kids, ageing six and four years.
Carvalho now admits of having killed his wife, who was suspected of having illicit relation with another man. He also does not regret for having been arrested or killing his wife in a such gruesome manner.
Probably with a pre-plan, on Tuesday evening, he sent down his kids and the mother to the ground floor, removed his own clothes while also stripping down his own wife, tied her hands and legs and started chopping her with the koita.
As neighbours came rushing listening to her cries, Francisco started hurling empty bottles at them while Marcelina also begged them to go away, saying that Francisco would kill her if they intervened. The police rushed to the spot little later while the fire brigade was also summoned, but only to hear her cries from outside since Francisco kept on throwing bottles at them.
It was only two hours later when her screams became weak, a local youth picked up courage to climb up and peep into the room to see the horrifying scene of Francisco chopping down his wife.
The police then immediately rushed into action breaking open the door while Francisco managed to injure a policeman and a local youth till he was tied up with a rope. Marcelina was rushed to the hospital, only to be declared dead. The post-mortem report states that she was stabbed over 100 times and died due to shock and brain haemorrhage.
Taking serious note of the incident, South Goa SP Alex Rasquinha has ordered inquiry into the incident as there also appears to be lapse on the part of the Vasco police in handling the situation and saving Marcelina by moving into action much earlier.
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