Urbanisation has ushered in a lot of conveniences into Goa but these have been largely offset by the riff-raff, which has flowed in with the tide, speeding up the crime rate. Is Goa going a la Alabama?

Sins of the father...

Anthony Rebello and his wife Brenda Fernandes were finally arrested in connection with the murder of Ernestina Rodrigues and her 11-year-old grand-daughter Lidia at Fatorda in Margao.

In what is considered to be the murders most foul in recent times in Goa, the criminal duo has been remanded to custody. What stony hearts were theirs who killed the old woman and the kid mercilessly in their sleep, and then dumped their bodies in the sump of the building they were staying in.

It's been said that the sins of the father visit the children and in this case we have a live example. Anthony and Brenda will have to spend their days in jail until they are proved not guilty. But with them, suffers their three-months-old daughter, Gracy. Freed from her mother's womb, the child is still destined to spend the early days of her life in fetters because her parents are currently in the police lock-up.

In the meanwhile, over Rs.1 lakh worth of gold ornaments, allegedly stollen by Anthony Rebello, were recovered from a jewellery shop in Mumbai.

Couple Killing Couple

Newly married Vikas and his lovely wife Kavita from New Delhi were in Goa last February to enjoy their honeymoon. However, on Feburary 27, 1999, the body of Vikas Nanda (27) was found at the Colva beach while Kavita's body was found at the Ozrant beach in Vagator. It was a mystery: how did the couple die and how come the bodies were found miles apart from each other, because they were staying at a hotel in Ribandar.

In this connection, another couple--Sanjay and Anjali Thakaran--have been arrested in Agra. This couple had been conning people left and right for the sake of money. They allegedly befriended the Nanda couple at the Anjuna beach. The Thakaran couple seemed to have confessed their double crime to the police. On the pretext of taking him for a swim, Sanjay got Vikas in the water at Anjuna and allegedly pulled him in the water and got him drowned. Anjali too managed to take Kavita to the water and did likewise.

A Vagator shackowner gave the description of the 14-year-old handicapped son of the Thakaran couple to a journalist, whose article helped Vikas' father, Subhash Nanda, to track down the duo in Agra. And his information led to their arrest. The Agra police succeeded in recovering a few stollen articles from the couple.

Anjalie and Sanjay were running a shack in Sernabatim and had allegedly swindled quite a few folk in South Goa, including the owner of Daud Electricals of Vasco.

Other Criminal Activities

BROTHER KILLS SISTER: Anant Shyam Khandekar confessed to the police that he had killed his sister Sandhya. He killed her because Sandhya had gone to Belgaum with her boyfriend Nandakumar Parab, after lying to her mother that she was going to her sister's house in Valpoi. Anand, a graduate, did not wish that his sister should marry an unemployed, worthless chap like Parab, and hence allegedly strangled Sandhya.

DRUG ARRESTS: The police have succeeded in arresting several persons, including 3 foreigners, and seized drugs valued at Rs.2.30 lakh during the peak tourist season in December.

Nigerian National Frank Chuka was arrested by the Anti-Narcotic Cell with drugs like ecstasy tables and cocaine worth Rs.58,000, at Candolim.

Babu Govenkar of Anjuna has been arrested by the Anti-Narcotic Cell with 6 gms of heroin and 17 ecstasy tablets, all worth Rs.35,000.

Prahlad Bhagar (44) of Himachal Pradesh was arrested and 4 kg of charas, worth around Rs.2.26 lakh, seized from him, in a police raid at the Anjuna flea market.

Last week, the ANC has netted the biggest narc haul at Umatavaddo in Calangute. The accused Goveker is absconding.

The Director General of Police R S Sahaye says that the Goa is likely to be the hot area for the drug peddlers dealing with charas produced in Himachal Pradesh. The South Goa police seem to have been keeping a strict watch on the sale of drugs on the beaches. But if the Goa cops were to keep their ears and eyes open, they could cover quite a lot of ground in this connection.

WHO'S AFRAID OF TRAFFIC WEEK? A blue-coloured Maruti car belonging to Krupa Pai, which was parked near the EDC House in Panjim, was stollen.

BOY SHOT AT: Raghuveer Hede has been arrested for shooting at an 11-year-old boy from Borda, with an airgun, when the boy had gone to answer nature's call in the vicinity of Raghuveer's property.

DUO ARRESTED: Succor D'Silva and Constancio from Zaino in Velim, were arrested by the Cuncolim police on January 18, for assaulting Michael D'Costa with bottles.

MURDER WEAPON SEIZED: The revolver used by the main accused to gun down matka king Guru Pujari at Khareband last November, was recovered by the police from a person in Mapusa. Pujari's alleged main killer, Glenn Peters, was arrested by the Goa police at Chakala in Andheri. The accused had reportedly gone to collect Rs.50,000 as part payment for the murder.

ANJUNA RAPISTS SENTENCED: The five youths accused of raping and robbing two Swedish females at Anjuna on March 6, 1997, have been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment totalling 10 years, besides a fine. The accused include Thambi Nasir, Pallani Swami, Mehboob, Babu Shaikh and Rajesh Chodankar, all from Vasco.

RAPE ACCUSED REMANDED: All the six youths arrested on the charge of raping a British tourist at Khobravaddo in Calangute, were remanded to seven days police custody for further investigations.

MOLESTORS NABBED: Sunil Das, Jose Carvalho and Anthony Francis plus an unidentified person, who had entered the residence of a woman at New Vaddem in Vasco, in the absence of her husband, were arrested by the police as they allegedly attempted to molest her.

Pradeep Devidas of Mardol was arrested on charges of molesting a 12-year-old girl at Bhoma while she was returning home alone.

GIRL KIDNAPPED: A case has been registered at the Cuncolim police station against one Savio from Assolna, for allegedly kidnapping a minor girl, who had left the house saying that she was going to attend classes.

TRAFFIC OF ANOTHER SORT: Five women were arrested by the Margao town police on January 13 under the Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act, at the old railway station in Margao, where they were found soliciting customers.

SHILPA'S SUICIDE: Shilpa Naik (23), who was working at the house of Ida Menezes at Porvorim, committed suicide by consuming rat poison.

CORPSE CUSTODY: Angela, a foreign national, informed the Calangute police that her husband Carlos Fernandes was dead, and that she suspected foul play. Carlos could have died either from alcohol or drug overdose, which the police will find out after the forensic test. His brothers phoned the police from abroad, demanding custody of the body, and have even moved the court in this connection.

FAKE CURRENCY OUTBREAK: Police arrested Ahamadsab Shaikh, resident of Margao and hailing from Karwar, and his accomplice Muneer Abubakar Shaik, both of whom were involved in circulating counterfeit currency notes in Margao.

BANK MANAGER ARRESTED: The manager of the Bicholim Urban Cooperative Bank was arrested in connection with the misappropriation of Rs.62,13,072. He was released on bail later.