Chodankar directed to report to police HQ; Pernem SDPO Shirodkar given additional charge
PANAJI
As the investigation into the eviction of Rajesh Sinary and his family from their Anjuna house continues, the Goa Police on Wednesday shunted Mapusa SDPO Sandesh Chodankar, the officer who oversaw the probe. Pernem SDPO Ashish Shirodkar has been given additional charge of the Mapusa sub-division while Chodankar has been directed to report to police headquarters.
Sources said an internal inquiry revealed that senior officers were dissatisfied with how Chodankar handled the case, alleging that his approach favoured accused Janardhan Khorate, currently evading arrest. Khorate is charged with allegedly sending bouncers to evict the Sinary family without a court order.
The transfer order comes two days after Additional Sessions Judge-2, Mapusa rejected Khorate’s anticipatory bail application stating that he could manipulate and threaten witnesses and evidence.
“The incident occurred in broad daylight. The complexity and the involvement of the accused in the crime are clearly established, at least at this prima facie stage, from the material placed on record. The applicant (Khorate) had engaged the bouncers armed with weapons and tried to dispossess the complainant (Sinary). The housemaid was abducted. This itself proves the gravity of the offence,” Judge Ram Subrai Prabhu Dessai observed.
“The manner in which the present crime has been given effect, there is every possibility that the applicant can threaten the witnesses or manipulate the evidence in the present case and misuse the liberty,” reads the order while rejecting the anticipatory bail application.
The crime occurred on February 8, when the complainant and his family were allegedly forcibly and unlawfully dispossessed from the house, where they have been living on a monthly rent of Rs 50,000 approx. Further allegations stated that after trespassing into the house, the accused committed theft of household items and cash.
Police confirmed that bouncers carrying sickles and koitas forcibly entered the house by damaging the main door and taking advantage of the complainant's absence. The housemaid present there was abducted and later abandoned at an unknown location.
Three accused were subsequently arrested, while Khorate, who holds the power of attorney for the house, remains absconding.
Records indicate that the owner claimed he had engaged a security agency to protect his property and ensure the house remained vacant. However, he did not acknowledge the complainant and her family's possession of the house.
On the contrary, a previous complaint dated October 22, 2024, showed that the owner admitted to allowing Bonny Sinari to look after and maintain his house a few months before lodging the complaint. He stated that she was required to maintain the house only for April, May, and June 2024 but had been residing there for more than three months with her boyfriend without his permission. He further stated that he had sent his lawful attorney to inform Bonny Sinari to vacate the premises as soon as possible, but she refused, prompting him to seek police intervention.
