Goa: Mohammad Aga was cliff diver, can’t drown, says Family

PANAJI: Two days after his family reported him missing, the body of 21-year-old Mohammad Aga was found floating near an offshore casino in the Mandovi on Friday morning.
Mohammad’s distressed family has, however, rejected the police version that the youth died of drowning after being flung off his bike from the Mandovi bridge into the river following a collision with a four-wheeler.
His father Nazim Aga has alleged murder and believes that negligence by Goa police killed his only son.
“He was a cliff diver and could swim to the shore in no time. He cannot die of drowning. When we rushed to see his body, blood was oozing out and there was no sign of bloating of the body or fish having nibbled on the flesh, which is usually seen when a body is in the water for 48 hours. He was murdered and thrown into the river much later,” said Nazim.
On August 30, Mohammad left his home to meet some friends at Santa Cruz. The three youth headed to a restaurant at Bambolim for dinner and left for home later in the night, but Mohammad never made it to his home at Betim.
“I woke up at around 3.30-4am on August 31 to see that Mohammad wasn’t home. We were alarmed and rushed to the police station where Panaji police tried to shunt us to the Porvorim police station. The bike he was riding was 20 years old. It could not go over 40kmph. It could not be a road accident,” said Nazim, who said the clothes on Mohammad’s body were also bone-dry.
Mohammad was studying arts in a higher secondary school in Verem.
“The car with which police say there was a collision belongs to four men from Karnataka, who are tourists. There is clear sign of the windshield of the car having broken due to impact from Mohammad’s helmet. After their car hit Mohammad, they tried to conceal their crime. But due to delay by police in finding my son, they killed him and dumped his body much later in the river to make it seem like drowning,” said Nazim.
Mohammad’s body has been sent to GMC for an autopsy.
“There was a deep gash on Mohammad’s face. The signs show he was assaulted and not killed by the accident or drowning. Mohammad’s helmet and jacket were also missing,” said Nazim.
“He was my only son and he was my future. He was killed because of police negligence. Police have made a mess out of the investigations. If police had strictly interrogated the four men, then my son’s life would have been saved. We have lost him but we want his soul to be at peace by putting those responsible behind bars,” said Nazim.