Panaji: At a time when Goa Police is mired in a serious controversy over extortion, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant chose to shun the issue and instead congratulate the department for solving a robbery case.
Days after a Japanese tourist Tweeted about how an organized gang duped him of Rs 9.27 lakh in Goa and threatened him to leave India, North Goa police on Tuesday arrested three persons from Rajasthan while two prime accused are still at large.
This came on the very day five men in uniform were caught on a security camera demanding Rs 10 lakh money from a businessman operating online gaming in Goa. The personnel, attached to the Anti Terrorist Squad, then agreed to settle the extortion money to Rs 5 lakh after a negotiation, all of which are captured on the CCTV cameras.
Sawant, who also holds the portfolio of State Home Minister, preferred to overshadow the controversy and hail the force for solving the inter state crime.
“Goa Police has done a commendable job in successfully dismantling a robber module preying on foreign tourists. The Government of Goa and the Police Force are dedicated to providing a welcoming and secure environment for tourists,” he tweeted.
The government as well as the department have surprisingly maintained a stoic silence on action intended against the personnel, although the videos have gone viral and reached the doors of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The personnel are said to have handed the money back to the complainant while a so-called inquiry is ordered against them by the Director General of Police Jaspal Singh.
