PONDA: Following a probe into a threat issued to a member of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Ponda police on Monday nabbed a cab driver who had allegedly threatened chief minister Pramod Sawant over phone during the first week of November.
South Goa SP Pankaj Kumar Singh said the accused, Ashish S Naik, 25, a resident of Cortalim, had texted threatening messages to the chief minister, panchayats minister Mauvin Godinho, former BJP executive committee member Pranav Sanvordekar and GFP member Durgadas Kamat. In all, four separate offences were registered at police stations in Panaji, Verna, Curchorem and Ponda.
Singh said the only motive behind the crime was to take revenge on Jayesh Fadte, a resident of Upasnagar, Sancoale, with whom Naik had some enmity. “The accused intentionally attempted to involve the youth into the case stating that he would collect the ransom money, so the police should arrest him in the threatening for ransom case,” the officer said. Police sources said that Naik, being in inimical relations with Fadte, would allegedly send threatening messages in the latter’s name. He succeeded in his plan when 39-year-old Fadte was arrested a week ago on charges of sending threatening messages to Godinho and demanding ransom from him.
The Verna police had acted following a complaint lodged by Godinho’s office. However, Fadte was booked without verification of the number from where the threatening messages had been sent.