Former Goa tourism minister, aide denied anticipatory bail

PANAJI - Former Goa tourism minister Francisco alias Mickky Pacheco and his aide Lyndon Monteiro were Monday denied anticipatory bail in connection with the death of Pacheco’s alleged lover, 28-year-old Nadia Torrado.

The prosecution has also said that one of the key witnesses in the case, a house maid at the Torrado house, had “mysteriously” gone missing.

In course of the anticipatory bail hearing before the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court, at which both Pacheco and Monteiro were absent, the prosecution accused the former minister of spending nearly Rs.40 lakh on Torrado’s medical treatment, fearing that her “family might spill the beans on him”.

Nadia died at a Chennai hospital on May 30, 15 days after she allegedly consumed rat poison.

Arguing against Pacheco and Monteiro’s plea for anticipatory bail, public prosecutor Carlose Ferreira said the circumstances of Nadia’s death were suspicious and that a key witness, the maid employed at the Torrado house, had already gone missing.

“We have not been able to trace the maid. She has mysteriously disappeared,” Ferreira said, adding that the maid was present in the house when Nadia consumed poison.

Earlier, Pacheco’s lawyer, Surendra Dessai had argued that the case was being manipulated to “frame” him.

“If he had to kill Nadia, he would not have spent Rs.40 lakh on her medical bills and other expenses,” Dessai argued, adding that the case was a witch-hunt against the former minister.

Both Pacheco and Monteiro went into hiding since June 5 after both of them were interrogated by the Crime Branch for nine hours.