Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Unidentified Car borne assailants stopped near a man on the pretext of asking directions (where also two others-a woman and girl were also standing at a bus-stop at Chaudi is attacked with pepper spray in his eyes and drove away in the same car.
According to sources, Chaudi resident Nagesh alias Sudesh Mahale, who lives just across the old NH66 road passing throught Chaudi town was standing next to coconut tree as per his customary practice many a times (during mornings, afternoons, evenings). Two other ladies ( a woman and a girl) were also standing beside him, apparently to board the margao bound bus.
According to Nagesh, a vehicle with dark glass coming from karwar and going towards margao direction stopped in front of him, and asked him the road direction to go to karwar after slightly lowering the side glass. ‘pointing towards the karwar direction (unfortunately in the same direction they came) I said Karwar road is towards their back and showed my hand. Stating they had not heard me properly, they called me nearer to their car, and I repeated the same correct direction, suddenly, someone through the half open dark glasses saw something in my eyes and I suddenly fell backward and with my burning eyes caught the nearby coconut-tree. I started to feel burning and itching in both of my eyes. In the meantime Car swiftly drove towards the same direction (margao side) they were heading and disappeared from the scene, as I called out for help.’ Some ladies from their shops saw me struggling and came running to me and asked what had happened. I requested them to call one of my friends who is in another nearby shop. I could partly open my burning eyes but the itching was too much to bear as people around told me my eyes have turned red inside.Initially I thought I was sprayed to make me unconscious.
My Friend Babesk Borkar came and immediately took me to the CHC, where they advised me to wash my eyes with clean water, and I was partly relieved.
A lady working in a nearby shop stated that though she had not seen the Car driving away, however said they saw how Sudesh was struggling, almost shivering and he had become red and badly nervous. The Woman and the girl, soon boarded got their bus to go to Margao and went away. People who soon assembled there also complained of unique and different types of odour/smell in the area for some more time.
Sudesh who is now hale and healthy, however, suspects that the spray attack on him was to target those two women for their gold chain or ornaments, but since they were a bit ahead and when they called me near to the on the pretext that they could not hear him properly the women were way behind and and they come out of the their vehicle impossible for them to put their hands on those two women (woman and girl)/.
Sudesh stating the incident had occurred at about 12.00 pm noon time, also informed he has no amenity with anyone or I don’t wear or have anything gold/valuables on my body or even at home, he don’t know why somebody will target him like that.
Alongwith some chaudi residents , Nagesh approached police station and narrated the episode requesting to register a case and investigate, trace the vehicle through neighboring CCTV footage. Residents also fear that some unscrupulous elements are on the loose in Canacona and particularly in the Chaudi town and called police to nab such elements before they commit such thefts and attempts to rob innocent people in daylight.
