Goa casino firing: As assailants remain at large, probe transferred to crime branch

The investigation into the shooting targeting casino director Srinivas Nayak in Porvorim has been transferred to the Goa Police Crime Branch, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the state Assembly on Monday.

The decision came three days after two unidentified men allegedly opened fire on Nayak, a director of Majestic Pride Hotels and Resorts, outside a five-star hotel on 28 August. Nayak and his security personnel escaped unhurt.

“Porvorim shootout case has been handed over to the Crime Branch for further investigation. We are confident of nabbing the accused. Investigation is underway,” Sawant told the House.

The chief minister was responding to an adjournment motion moved by Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai over what he described as a deterioration in the state’s law-and-order situation. Sardesai had demanded a Crime Branch investigation into the attack.

The Opposition legislator pointed out that the shooting occurred barely 500 metres from the state Assembly complex and the Porvorim police station, raising questions about policing and security in the area.

According to police, Nayak was preparing to leave the hotel at around 8.45 pm when two men fired three rounds at him. His security personnel retaliated, forcing the attackers to flee.

CCTV recordings purportedly show the assailants waiting near the hotel entrance before firing at Nayak’s vehicle, police said.

Majestic Pride Hotels and Resorts operates offshore and onshore casinos in Goa and owns the five-star property outside which the attack took place.

Porvorim police initially registered an FIR against two unidentified people and began searching for them. The suspects, however, remain at large.

Investigators have reportedly ruled out extortion as a motive at this stage and are examining whether the attack involved contract killers. They are also investigating the possibility that the shooters were brought into Goa from another state.

A police team has been sent to Mumbai as part of the investigation, while several suspects have been questioned. Sawant has directed investigators to establish the motive behind the attempted killing and arrest those responsible at the earliest.

The chief minister had earlier described the shooting as the first incident of its kind during his tenure and said those involved would not be spared.

AAP MLA from Velim Cruz Silva also raised concerns about the law-and-order situation while speaking outside the Assembly complex on Monday.

With PTI inputs