Goa: John Kelly Murder - Police Recover Knife used in Scuffle
special correspondent - Daijiworld Media Network Goa
Panaji, Oct 12: Goa police today recovered a knife from the beach pub in Calangute where the 65 year old Australian was allegedly assaulted which resulted in his death
The recovery bolster the theory by eye witnesses that John Kelly, 65, was abusive and arrogant and attacked the staff with the knife provoking them into action.
"He held a knife on my stomach and pressed it hard. Others came to rescue me and in the scuffle he fell on the marble table," Motiyar Rehman, pub's cook stated.
The incident was reported on Wednesday at 7.51 a.m.
Three staffers of the pub – club city – located at Calangute have been arrested by the police under charges of murder. Kelly had died in Goa medical college and hospital, ten hours after he was allegedly assaulted.
The eye witnesses earlier had said that the Australian racially abused almost everyone in the pub on the day and behaved arrogantly provoking the staff.
"He was drunk even before he could enter the pub. I saw him drinking near a shop next door," Rehman said.
The police have been refusing that the knife was used by the foreigners to threaten or attack the pub staff.
"We have no information about the knife or any attack resulting in provocation," deputy superintendent of police Gundu Naik had said earlier.
Police inspector Tushar Vernekar stated that this is for the first time that the police have come to know about the use of knife in the entire incident.
The knife recovery has exposed a loophole in the police investigation, who despite the panchanama of the place, could not trace the weapon which was lying just next to the table where Kelly had his drink.
The pub staff contended that they had complained the police about the assault on the same morning which police refuse to accept. "Two of our persons, one of whom is right now arrested, were sitting in the calangute police station for almost one and half hours. But they were not entertained," Rehman said.
Interestingly, although the police came to know about the incident in the morning, the deputy superintendent of police stated that they were informed about the foreigner being severely assaulted at 1.30 pm