Margao/Panaji, Jul 9: Former tourism minister, Francisco Xavier Pacheco alias Mickky, the prime accused in the Nadia death case, was arrested by the CID (crime branch) on Thursday after Hospicio Hospital discharged him.
Hospicio sources said the former minister, who had been in intensive care unit of the hospital, was taken to the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim, along with police escorts at around 10 a.m. for medical opinion.
At the GMC, Pacheco was checked by medical consultants, surgeons and urologists, who opined that the accused could be treated at out-patient department level. Hence the former minister was sent back to the Hospicio Hospital, where he was checked and later discharged.
A Hospicio doctor said that they discharged him with advice to follow up with regular blood pressure check and blood investigation for liver function.
Thereafter, police inspector of the Margao police station, Mr Santosh Dessai formally took Pacheco into custody.
Pacheco, on whom the crime branch has registered the offence for culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the death case of his female friend, Nadia Torrado, would be produced before the court on Friday for completing legal formalities.
While leaving the Hospicio Hospital for the crime branch office at Dona Paula, the former tourism minister, accompanied by his partner, pleaded innocent with folded hands before the media persons and claimed that he has been falsely implicated in the case. Pacheco was weeping while speaking to the media.
Asked whether he has been politically implicated, he said yes, but did not name any politician adding that the media knows the person who has falsely implicated him.
He observed that he would walk out free with a clean chit.
A large number of Pacheco’s supporters were gathered at the Hospicio Hospital to have a glimpse of their leader. Shouting slogans that their leader has been falsely implicated, they demanded “justice” to Pacheco.
The superintendent of police, special cell, Mr Atmaram Deshpande told the media at the Goa police headquarters on Thursday evening that after Pacheco was taken into the custody he was again taken to the GMC for medical re-examination to complete the arrest formalities.
Elaborating on medical re-examination, Mr Deshpande informed that it is mandatory once a person is arrested as there could be preexisting injuries on his body.
Talking about how the police would go about now, the SP said that the police have collected 50-60 per cent of evidence in connection with the Nadia death case but the investigating police officer wants Pacheco’s custodial interrogation to clear certain doubts arose due to conflicting information and evidence collected from family members, servants and others linked to the case.
Besides the additional evidence, the investigating agency wants recovery of certain things from the former minister and as such his custody is mandatory, he informed.
The deputy superintendent of police, crime branch, Mr Chandrakant Salgaonkar confirmed that Pacheco has been brought to the crime branch on Thursday evening and formerly placed under arrest and the investigation would begin.
Immediately after he had been sent to judicial custody by the additional district session court, South Goa, Pacheco had got himself admitted to ICU of Hospicio Hospital claiming that he was suffering from hypertension and jaundice.
The legislator had surrendered before the court on July 3, after the Supreme Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.