MAPUSA | 30 JUNE 2025:
In a commendable display of swift investigation and coordination, North Goa Police cracked the blind acid attack case reported from Dhargal in Pernem within just 9 hours of the incident.
At around 7:45 AM on Monday, a 17-year-old student from Dhargal, Pernem was waiting for a bus to attend college when an unidentified man on a scooter threw acid on him and fled the scene. The victim sustained burn injuries and was immediately rushed to District Hospital, Mapusa. Police were alerted by the hospital at 8:20 AM, following which officers were swiftly deployed to secure the crime scene.
Acting promptly, Pernem Police formed a dedicated team under the leadership of PI Sachin Lokre and comprising PSI Vivek Halarnkar, PSI Pravin Shemepurushkar, PSI Prathmesh Parsekar, PSI Tukaram Chodankar, PSI Sahil Naik, and other personnel from Mopa Airport and Mandrem Police Stations. Each officer was assigned specific roles in the manhunt for the perpetrator.
An FIR was registered under FIR No. 41/2025 at Pernem Police Station under Section 124(1), 109 of the BNS and Section 8(2) of the Goa Children’s Act, based on the complaint filed by the victim’s father, Umesh Shetye. A forensic team and dog squad were brought to the scene, and vital evidence, including the acid used, was collected and sealed.
Following intensive efforts and actionable intelligence, the accused—identified as Nilesh Gajanand Dessai (46), a resident of Dabiwadi Kalane, Dodamarg, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra—was apprehended from IDC Karaswada, Mapusa. During interrogation, Dessai confessed to committing the crime, claiming that his daughter had died a month ago and that the police in Sindhudurg were investigating the case as an unnatural death. Dessai believed the minor victim was involved with his daughter and held him responsible for her death.
The chemical substance used in the attack is suspected to have been sourced from the company where the accused is employed, located at IDC Karaswada. The two-wheeler used in the crime has also been seized.
Further investigation is being carried out by PSI Sahil Naik under the supervision of PI Sachin Lokre, SDPO Pernem Shri Salim Shaikh, and overall supervision of Rahul Gupta, IPS, Superintendent of Police, North Goa.
—Issued by Rahul Gupta, IPS, SP North Goa
