MARGAO
A little less than a month now after a shootout shattered peace in the sleepy Shantinagar, on the outskirts of Margao, questions over the source of the country-made pistol that killed the mason Abdul Kadar still remains unanswered till date.
While accused mechanic Faiyaz Khatib has been languishing in jail awaiting trial in the murder that occurred on September 27 noon at Shantinagar, the Margao police has been unable to lay their hands on the accused who had brought the country-made pistol to Goa, before the firearm landed in the hands of the accused.
That the source of the firearm has raised concerns was evident by the fact that even Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had stressed on the need to nab the persons involved in bringing the firearm to Goa.
In fact, the Chief Minister, during the inauguration of the Fatorda police station late last month, had emphasised on the need to tone up the intelligence mechanism, apparently with reference to the pistol that found its way into Goa without the knowledge of the men-in-uniform.
While the police had arrested Faiyaz and another person Akbar, for abetting the murder since he was in possession of the pistol
before it was handed over to the accused, the source of the firearm remains unknown till date.
When The Goan called up Margao Police station in-charge, PI C L Patil to shed light on the source of the pistol, he said efforts are on to nab the person, who had brought the weapon to Goa. "We are keeping a close vigil on the person, who had brought the pistol to Goa before it came in possession of Akbar and Faiyaz. The police hope to lay their hands on the main accused," he said.
While it is pointed out in police circles that the pistol had come from North India, probably from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, PI Patil said the exact source will be known only after the person who had handed over the pistol to the two accused is nabbed and questioned in the case.
The police had maintained that the pistol was apparently handed over to accused Faiyaz to look out for a customer and dispose of the weapon for a price of
Rs 85,000.
Besides the pistol, five live cartridges were recovered from the accused persons by the Margao police after
the ugly shootout that claimed the life of the mason Abdul Kadar.
