Naked dance: Defence Minister Parrikar. A Goa court on Wednesday issued a warrant for search of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s New Delhi residence to nab former Goa minister Francisco Pacheco, who has been reported missing for over a fortnight.
The trial court was conducting proceedings related to the formal arrest of Pacheco, whose conviction for an assault was upheld by the Supreme Court earlier this month. Pacheco has been untraced and missing for over two weeks.
The search warrant has directed police to search Parrikar’s official residence in Delhi to trace Pacheco after the petitioner, a lawyer-activist Aires Rodrigues, told the trial court that Pacheco was seen in the vicinity of 10, Akbar Road in New Delhi, (Parrikar’s official residence).
In his reply submitted to the court, Police Inspector Uttam Rautdessai, in charge of the Colva police station which has been tasked with serving the arrest warrant on Pacheco, said the investigation had revealed that the former minister left Goa for Delhi on April 8 and was booked at Hotel Royal Plaza at Ashoka Road in the national capital till April 12.
Raudessai, however, conceded that his team was unable to arrest the former minister when in Delhi. He also said that police were in the process of tracking down the bank accounts of the former minister and trying to track down his recent expenses.
Pacheco, who faces six-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs.1,500 for assaulting a junior engineer of the state electricity department in 2006, has been missing and untraced ever since the Supreme Court upheld his conviction earlier this month.
The search warrant for 10, Akbar Road, New Delhi, along with a fresh arrest warrant to be served on Pacheco, was issued by Judicial Magistrate First Class Bosco Roberts in Margao, located 35 km from here.