Goemkarponn Desk
MAPUSA: Four days after the Shivaji statue was vandalized, Mapusa Police retrieved the broken pieces of the statue and the stone used in the crime, but they have not yet determined the crime’s reason.
The incident’s eyewitness has also been identified, according to the police, and their statement has been recorded.
“The accused admitted to committing the crime during the incarceration interrogation. The broken pieces of the statue’s face and the stone used to conduct the crime were also successfully taken from the accused, according to Jivba Dalvi, the Mapusa SDPO.
The police had access to CCTV evidence, but it was unable to paint a complete picture of the occurrence.
The vandalism of the Shivaji statue at Karrasvaddo, Mapusa, was discovered on August 14 in the morning, and Mapusa Police detained three members of the minority Catholic community that same evening.
Nigel Fonseca, Alex Fernandes, and Lawrence Mendes, all inhabitants of Acoi, Mapsua, were detained on August 15 after lengthy questioning.
Later, a Mapusa judge ordered the trio to remain in police custody for six days.
According to Sections 295-A (outrage religious sensibilities), 153-A (promoting enmity between communities), and 427 r/w 34 (engaging in mischief) of the IPC, Mapusa Police have filed a criminal complaint against the accused.
A special police squad was established on the DGP’s orders, under the direction of SP North Nidhin Valsan, to look into the damage to the Maratha warrior king’s statue.
