Cleophas surrenders to Anjuna police

PANAJI: Following court directions, Arpora panchayat member Cleophas Fernandes, who has been absconding since his alleged attack on Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, surrendered at the Anjuna police station on Tuesday.
While granting him interim anticipatory bail, the additional sessions court, Mapusa, had directed the accused to appear before the Anjuna police station for three days from 10am to 1pm.A senior police officer attached to Anjuna police station said that, as per court direction, Fernandes reported to the police station on Tuesday and was allowed to leave at 1pm.
The officer added that as the Anjuna police station in-charge Paresh Naik, who is the investigating officer in the case, was busy attending a crime review meeting in Panaji, Fernandes was interrogated during his time at the police station.
On December 5, Fernandes allegedly assaulted Lobo with a wooden stick at the Arpora market junction. The attack, registered by Anjuna police as an attempt to murder, was allegedly over the election of a new deputy sarpanch, a post from which Fernandes recently resigned.
Fernandes is a close aide of a 'powerful politician' from Bardez. Sources also said that the assistant of the politician contacted officials of the Arpora panchayat directing them to support Fernandes in every possible manner and make him deputy sarpanch. But, someone else was elected as deputy sarpanch.
After the attack, Fernandes fled and wasn’t to be found at his home when police teams raided his place on several occasions, a police personnel said. The accused has around 14 cases of extortion and assault being registered against his name. These cases were booked more than 10 years ago. Fernandes later entered politics and was elected as a member of the Arpora village panchayat.
The NCP has demanded that the case be handed over to the crime branch, claiming that the assault was more to do with an extortion racket than the election of a new deputy sarpanch.
Exiting the police station, Fernandes denied he had assaulted Lobo. “We are very good friends. I don’t know why he tried to hit me. There must be some motive behind it,” he said. Lobo asserted that he was hit by Fernandes and refuted his charge.