BY A GT REPORTER
MARGAO: Two of the four abductors who were still at large in the kidnapping of a Vasco youth were finally arrested at Pirna-Verna, and also, the body of the 47-year-old driver Sudan Dabhale (not Sham Dhale as reported) from Ucassaim, Mapusa recovered from the bushes in Consua in a highly decomposed state.
The strong police force that had been keeping round the clock vigil at Canaguinim, Betul and Verna for past two days met with success when the two absconding abductors -- Suraj Kumar Jha from Bihar and Imid Ali from Assam came back to their place where they resided at Pirna-Verna by public transport.
The police are yet to recover the country pistol used by the accused to fire at the police on Friday.
Ali confessed to have hiring a Maruti van from Mapusa stand on July 17. He also confessed to killing the driver Sudan Dabhale with a knife, which is also yet to be recovered.
The deceased’s relatives have identified his body.
A total of 80 policemen and 60 personnel from the Reserve Police Battalion along with top police officers had cordoned off the area at Canaguinim where the accused had disappeared into thick vegetation. While one was nabbed on Friday and another the next day, the police had managed to rescue the youth from Vasco Sayad Ayaz at Rajbag - Cabo de Ram.
According to the accused, as per police details, they escaped from Canaguinim -Betul at 11.30 pm on Saturday walked to a bus stop and later at 6 am on Sunday boarded a bus to come to Margao. While constables Hirulal Naik and Ajit Rane posted at the rented room at Pirna arrested Jha at 9.30 am on Sunday, PSIs Sushant Gawas, Jivbha Dalvi and team arrested Ali who was seen at bus stand Verna church was nabbed while trying to escape near Verna police quarters at 1.45 pm.
Shrinivas, a hardware engineer, is said to have planned the kidnapping of Ayaz who he says was responsible for his “girlfriend” breaking up with him. Shrinivas who was working as system administrator with a private firm is known to have befriended the victim and three of his friends while residing at Vasco. The accused also is learnt to have met the girl he befriended in 2008. The accused Shrinivas is also said to have been unemployed since last few months and is said to have met the three other accused working in housekeeping department at a firm in Verna industrial state and shared a room with them.
Ayaz was kidnapped on Thursday night at Chicalim while he was coming back from his work in Panjim. Srinivas had paid Jha Rs 15,000 a week earlier for purchase of a country made pistol. Meanwhile, Mapusa DySP Sammy Tavarves along with Mapusa PI Manjunath Desai interrogated the accused and also took possession of the decomposed body, which has been sent to the Goa Medical College Hospital, Bambolim for post mortem. South Goa SP Allan de Sa, Verna PI Prabhudesai and Sagar Eoskar are also interrogating the arrested duo.
