The Goa police has constituted a high-level inquiry in connection with a double murder case after a journalist alleged that even after informing a senior police officer about the first murder, inaction on the police's part led to the second killing.
Superintendent of Police Vishram Borkar would inquire into the inputs that a crime reporter had informed the Deputy Superintendent of Police Umesh Gaonkar after the first murder, Deputy Inspector General of Police O P Mishra told reporters last night.
Ramesh Bhagwe and Osban Fernandes, both middle aged, were arrested by the Collem police last night for murdering Shivaji Nayak (40) and his wife Sujata (35), as well as trying to kill their minor son (8) and daughter (5) on Saturday. The accused had first murdered Shivaji and later killed his wife, who had witnessed the incident, police said.
Mishra admitted that a journalist had informed the police about the first murder and even told them about the spot where the body was buried.
The information was apparently passed on by the DySP to Police Inspector Devendra Gad, in-charge of Old Goa Police station, who allegedly ignored it.
"The second murder could have been averted had the police acted upon my information," Sham Naik, a journalist attached to a local news channel, said.
Mishra conceded that the police were informed after the first murder. "I don't know what happened after that, but I presume police were working on the lead. The inquiry will reveal everything," he said.
Police is also investigating on the input that Sujata, who was killed soon after her husband, had approached Old Goa Police station with the complaint, but was driven away.
The incident came to light yesterday morning when passersby noticed the victim's five-year-old girl in a naked condition at Anmod Ghat.
