Goa court rejects former minister’s anticipatory bail plea

PANAJI - A local court Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail application of former Goa tourism minister Mickky Pacheco, who is a suspect in the mysterious death of his 28-year-old alleged lover.

Sources said that the controversial former minister, who has been on the run for nearly a week, will be approaching the Bombay High Court for anticipatory bail.

Police are hunting for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator for custodial interrogation.

On Wednesday, police told the Margao District and Sessions Court that the mother of Nadia Torrado, Pacheco’s alleged lover had instructed her maid to destroy five bags of documents and clothes, after Nadia consumed rat poison May 15.

Torrado died at a Chennai hospital 15 days after consuming rat poison.

Torrado’s mother, who was called to the Crime Branch of Goa Police for questioning, Wednesday filed a petition in the high court and accused police of harassing her and forcing her to make false allegations against Pacheco.

She also requested the court to order a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the death of her daughter.