Sandesh Prabhudesai
19 July 2000
Is Goa turning into Bombay in terms of open shoot outs ?
Though not really, it is definitely becoming a matter of concern as yet another daylight murder in Margao, district town of South Goa, has shaken up the peaceful tourist state.
This time the target was Mohammad Mamuji Pandiyal, a city hotelier and a key witness in the murder case of matka kingpin Guru Poojari, who was killed in a similar manner in November last year.
Poojari was killed outside Pandiyal's restaurant 'Tandoor" on 23 November at around 8.45 pm on a busy street in Margao, simply by walking towards him and shooting him point blank in front of passers by.
The Margao police had succeeded in arresting all the four assailants, including Glenn Peters, the main person who actually killed Poojari. The motive of the crime – underworld rivalry of a Bombay-based matka king – was also established by the police within one and a half month.
While Pandiyal had already deposed before the magistrate in the Poojari murder case, this may be an attempt to destroy the evidence before cross examination begins, feels South Goa SP Jaspal Singh. He is however confident that it would not affect the case.
While police are certain that yesterday's shooting was handiwork of Bombay-based professionals, chief minister Francisco Sardinha assured the Assembly that the assailants would be nabbed within no time.
The Assembly however also expressed concern over Goa's peaceful image being threatened as this shoot out has taken place hardly 300 metres away from the police station. A similar kind of incident of stabbing a person to death had taken place in Mapusa (North Goa) two months ago on a bus stand, close to the police station.
While BJP MLA Manohar Parrikar observed that remote villages and red light areas in Goa are becoming hideouts for Bombay underworld criminals, some Congress legislators even demanded armed escort for themselves as they also expose some scandals involving business houses, who are apparently taking help of underworld to settle their business rivalries.
Though the chief minister instantly agreed to provide security if anyone applies, former union minister Ramakant Khalap, a Congress legislator, however cautioned not to make it a usual practice, learning from Delhi experience, where it has become a status symbol and unnecessary headache for the police department.
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