Further arrests likely as probe reveals strained relations
PANAJI
A day after arresting the father and elder brother in connection with the murder of 24-year-old Shravan Barve from Valpoi, Goa police on Sunday acknowledged a “conspiracy,” although the exact motive for the murder is still under investigation.
At a press conference, SP North Akshat Kaushal confirmed that three people had been arrested in relation to the murder: Shravan’s father, Devidas Barve, 64; his elder brother, Uday, 34; and a daily wage worker, Vasudev Nakul Ozrekar, 43. Ozrekar has been remanded in 10-day police custody.
Kaushal mentioned that further arrests could follow, as there were significant indications from the start of the investigation that more than one person was involved in the crime. Given the sensitivity and complexity of the case, a special investigation team was set up under SDPO Porvorim.
“At this stage, we have reason to believe that a conspiracy was involved. While I cannot disclose the exact motive yet, our findings so far suggest there were strained relations between the victim and his family. For nearly five years, Shravan lived separately from his family and had limited contact with them,” Kaushal said.
Shravan’s body was found under suspicious circumstances just outside the family home in Nagargao, Sattari, on Tuesday morning. The post-mortem report confirmed that Shravan died due to asphyxia caused by manual compression of the neck.
Kaushal stated that the police were not revealing further details at this stage, but they were investigating whether Shravan had isolated himself from his family or if the family had isolated him.
The SP also noted that the crime records of Valpoi police station show that Devidas had filed multiple complaints against his son in the past. He had accused Shravan of assaulting him, and a total of five non-cognizable offences had been registered against Shravan, who had also been arrested once.
