Court rejects driver’s bail plea in rent-a-car murder case

Panaji: A local court dismissed the bail application of 23-year-old Omkar Gawde in connection with the alleged murder of Kapil Chaudhary by a rent-a-car agency owner and others.

Gawde stated that he worked as a driver for Gurudat Lawande, and his duties for the past two years were limited solely to delivering vehicles to customers and collecting them upon completion of the rental period. When they found that Chaudhary, who took an SUV on rent, crossed the border, the accused and others then chased the car and allegedly beat him to death before leaving.


Public prosecutor Coleman Rodrigues told the court that the assault on the victim was meticulously planned by Gurudat Lawande, Gawde, and their friends, who assaulted the victim mercilessly until he died with multiple injuries. The cause of death was due to head injury in the form of subdural and subarachnoid haemorrhage, with the cumulative effect of multiple external injuries all over the body, which were ante-mortem and fresh at the time of death, and fatal in the ordinary course of nature, caused by multiple blunt-force impacts consistent with assault.

The public prosecutor added that the panchanama and the post-mortem report indicated that the victim was assaulted in a very cruel manner and sustained multiple injuries all over his body, due to which he died.

Gawde’s advocate, Vinayak Porob, told the court that just because his call detail report (CDR) showed his location, it was not grounds to reject bail. However, the court held that he was not arrested merely based on the CDR, but also on the basis of a photograph in which he was clearly visible along with the deceased. There was also a statement stating that he was categorically present at the spot.

The court held that his location at Tivim was not just for 1.5 hours, but from 18.21 hours to 21.14 hours on the same date. The court held that the case was still at the investigation stage and that the court could not evaluate evidence at this stage. Prima facie, there was evidence on record against him, and nothing was found to prove the case was false, the court held.
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