CURTORIM: The sleepy village of Curtorim has its own version of some of English literatures timeless classics which has cruel relatives harming their own kith and kin - Classics like Hamlet, Jane Eyre and David Copperfield. But this story is not fictional.
This is a story of a 14-year-old family victim in this story from Curtorim.
The statement of this student of Moti Dongor, Margao, who was taken by his uncle on his scooter on the pretext of plucking mangoes in a lonely place and thrown into a 12-metre deep well was recorded by Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Margao under Section 164 of CrPC .
The boy after battling for almost two hours had managed to come out of the well.
While attempting to come up from the bottom of the well he fell down in the well thrice but he did not give up his efforts and on the fourth occasion he succeeded in coming out of the well due to the low water level.
This incident had rocked the Salcete taluka, particularly Curtorim village.
In his statement to the police, the boy said on May 31, he was playing along with his friends at home when his 45-year old uncle Basavraj Kagi, a resident of Tolsanzor, Moti Dongor approached him.
The boy’s mother, who works as a maid, had gone out for work. In her absence, his uncle took him out on a scooter to a lonely place in Curtorim in bushes near leprosy hospital on the pretext of plucking mangoes.
The boy was asked by his uncle to sit at one place while he went near the well which he had identified earlier to perpetrate the crime. He took some stones and started throwing them into the well and also asked the boy to do the same. As the boy came close to the well his uncle lifted him and threw him into the well. After committing this crime, the boy’s uncle fled.
The boy cried for help but since it was an isolated place his cries could not be heard.
As per the boy's statement he waited for some time with the hope that someone would come and rescue him. Thereafter he made three attempts to climb up but in vain. On the fourth attempt he managed to come out of the well.
After coming out he followed a dog that led him to a house located around 300 metres away and narrated the incident to the family. The family members comforted him and informed the police. PSI Chandra Khant along with his team rushed to the site and took the boy to South Goa District Hospital at Margao for treatment.
After committing the offence the accused tried to escape. However, the Maina Curtorim Police team headed by PSI Chandrakhant Velip succeeded in arresting the accused near the Konkan Railway Station area. At present he is in police custody on remand. According to police, the motive behind this crime is that the boy knew that the accused was having an alleged illicit relationship with a lady.
Maina Curtorim Police said based on the complaint lodged by the boy’s mother, they registered an offence against the accused Basavraj Kagi under Section 307 of the IPC. The police said they have also seized the scooter which was used in committing the crime.