Ponda: Twenty seven days after booking the offence, Ponda police on Sunday nabbed a ‘deserter’ constable of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) Sagar Naik from his Nagzar-Curti house in Ponda. Naik, who was posted at the IRB camp in Bordem-Bicholim, had been absent from duty since July 17. The battalion declared him a ‘deserter’ after 21 days of absence from duty and struck his name from the active service roll.
The constable was booked by Ponda police on Oct 1 after a woman from Usgao alleged that Naik had cheated her of Rs 15 lakh under the pretext of securing a teacher’s position at a school in Marcel.
Naik has applied for anticipatory bail and the hearing is currently pending.
Police added that Naik has a history of fraudulent activities, but previous victims were unable to file complaints due to a lack of evidence of any financial transactions. “In the present case some bank transfer transactions were present since the accused had received some amount through bank accounts. This led to lodging of a complaint against him. The accused Naik has a long history of cheating,” said the source. Police have booked him under provisions of the IPC. In another case, Prakash Mukund Rane, a resident of Sindhunagar Colony, Ponda was arrested for duping four persons including three women. Ponda police have transferred the case to Panaji police station since the offence falls under the jurisdiction of Panaji police.