PANJIM: The fish in khaki that are being caught for accepting bribes on the GPay app in Goa, are getting bigger. A Police Inspector rank officer, Vidyesh Pilgaonkar earlier the head of the Tiracol Coastal Security Police Station, was arrested on Saturday afternoon after his two juniors, already arrested, sang like canaries to the investigating cops. They said that they were collecting e-bribes for their boss, Pilgaonkar, through the Google Pay app.
The "bribery boss", who was shunted to an obscure posting after the probe commenced, will join his junior colleagues in custody.
The two who were earlier arrested are police head constables Sanjay Talkar and Udairaj Kalangutkar. They were also suspended by the Goa Police in this case last week.
Sources stated that another police officer is also under the scanner for booking the complainant under a false case thereby abetting in the crime.
Sources in the police told O Heraldo that the Kalangutkar and Talkar had told the ACB sleuths that they were collecting protection money at the behest of Pilgaonkar.
The top brass of the department had earlier hurriedly transferred Pilgaonkar from the Coastal Police Station to the Goa Reserve Police Force at Altinho, Panjim
O Heraldo investigations have revealed that Pilgaonkar has always enjoyed plum postings with political blessings along the coast. Some of the areas of his postings were at the Anjuna Police Station, Calangute Police Station, Siolim Coastal Police Station and Tiracol Coast Security Police Station. It was reportedly learnt that he was earlier shunted to the Police Training School, Valpoi, by SP Priyanka Kashyap when there were a series of corruption allegations.
The complainant Pruthvi H N, operating a paraglider-low panorama adventure sports activity at Keri-Pernem, with a valid registration certificate No, ADVN000016 dated December 17, 2023, issued by the Tourism Department filed a detailed complaint to the Superintendent of Police of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Nelson Albuquerque about how he was harassed, directed to cough up protection money to carry on with his trade and how his para-glider and harness were taken away from a hillock without following the standard operating procedure.
Pruthvi also stated that to save their skin, the cops at the Tiracol Coastal Security Police Station manipulated the station diary and filed a false complaint against him.
In his complaint, Pruthvi narrated how Rs 10,000 was demanded by the police, to carry on with his trade every month or face a shutdown of his business.
Pruthvi stated that a negotiation was arrived at and the settled for Rs 8,000 through G Pay was transferred to Talkar’s cellphone number, He also shared a screenshot to the WhatsApp number of PI Pilgaonkar 7875756208 confirming the that the e-bribe was paid.
Pruthvi was later directed by Talkar not to make payments via G Pay in future.
On March 16, 2024, Talkar allegedly approached Pruthvi to pay the balance amount for the next two months and when the latter refused to do so, the head constable and another cop around 2.30 pm on March 22, 2024, came to the Paliem hillock and seized his para glider and harness.
Pruthvi then filed a complaint with the ACB based on the voice recordings and G Pay transactions.