Arrest all accused involved in Assagao house demolition: CM

Panaji: Goa police on Sunday booked Pooja Sharma and unidentified persons for allegedly demolishing a house at Assagao and abducting two persons residing in that house. Chief minister Pramod Sawant subsequently directed the police to arrest all the accused involved in the demolition. The operator of the excavator, Pradeep Rana, 38, a native of Jharkhand was arrested on Monday evening.

Anjuna police inspector Prashal Dessai said the complainant, Prinsha Agarwadekar, stated that around 11.30am on Saturday, Sharma and other unidentified persons damaged the house with an excavator with an intention to demolish it. Dessai also said that the accused took the complainant’s husband Pradeep Agarwadekar and son Prince Agarwadekar to unknown destinations and then released them.

Initial investigation revealed that a landlord had sold his property to Sharma with the house, and that necessary agreements were executed at the govt offices concerned, Dessai said, and added that on Saturday, a few people connected to Sharma came to the house with an excavator and began razing it. Both parties were summoned to the police station to discuss the issue. Dessai said that while the investigation at the police station was on, some people continued demolishing the house. “Police rushed to the site and stopped the demolition. We have asked Sharma to produce the deed of sale,” the Anjuna PI said.

He also said the landlord had given the house to the Agarwadekar family to reside in, and had even provided a no-objection certificate to change the name on the house tax records at the village panchayat, and on the electricity and water bills, with the condition that the agreement would be withdrawn as and when the landlord sought.