Panaji: The Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Gopal Naik, suspected to be one of the main accused in the Porvorim shootout case.
Naik, who had been absconding, was intercepted at the Collem border check post on Wednesday night while attempting to leave the state in a car with two others. Police said the two accompanying passengers had no link to the case and were released after verification.
At the time of his arrest, Naik was dressed in saffron attire similar to that of a sadhu. Police suspect he deliberately wore the disguise to evade law enforcement, having reportedly visited several religious sites and metropolitan cities outside Goa while on the run.
“We received information that Naik was in Goa on Wednesday. Officers across all police stations were put on high alert, and he was apprehended at the Collem check post. He is currently being questioned in connection with the case,” Crime Branch SP Rahul Gupta told reporters.
Naik is the ninth suspect arrested in the case. While he is believed to be one of those who ordered the ‘hit’, sources said police are also investigating the potential involvement of another individual in what appears to be a feud tied to the lucrative casino industry.
On August 28, Shrinivas Nayak, director of the Majestic Pride Group, escaped unhurt when two assailants fired multiple rounds at him as he was leaving hotel premises.
Seven other suspects were previously arrested across various states: Qazu Sheikh (28), Suraj Acharya (36), and Satish Shinde from Maharashtra; Israr Ali (25) and Babu Ali (36) from Uttar Pradesh; Arputharaj, alias Anna Nadar (49), from Tamil Nadu; and Pavan Saur (19) from Madhya Pradesh.
The eighth accused, Dinanath Kori (32) of Chembur, Mumbai, was also arrested, and two cars reportedly used in the getaway were seized from Mumbai.
