PANJIM: A South Goa resident currently out of the country Floyd Coutinho has filed a complaint against Police Inspector Suraj Samant, presently attached with the Crime Branch (SIT Land Grabbing), for alleged harassment and attempt
to falsely implicate him in an offence.
Coutinho has alleged that the PI has provided false and fabricated information to newspapers to tarnish his image and reputation to attain illegal motives.
A complaint has also been filed before the State Police Complaints Authority on the same grounds relying on a series of documents, the say of the IO in the bail application of another accused, letters sent to a judge, a series of call recordings and a newspaper cutting of O Heraldo dated May 24, 2023.
It may be recalled that IO Police Inspector (PI) Suraj Samant had earlier said that an investigation into the entire matter had revealed a complex nexus of accused persons in the various land-grabbing cases of Salcete. The PI had mentioned Coutinho as being one of the masterminds in these cases.
Now, Coutinho in his complaint to the Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) has also alleged that a Deputy Superintendent of Police rank officer is trying to harass him and his family through PI Samant by resorting to illegal means to frame him in a false complaint by misleading investigation.
“PI Samant is trying to falsely implicate me in an offence wherein I am not involved in any manner. Further, neither there is any complaint against me nor there is any sort of evidence with regards to any such offences,” claims Coutinho.
“The actions of the police department are suspicious as they are after me for no rhyme or reason and they are only trying to extort money from me,” stated Coutinho in his complaint dated June 3, 2023
It may be recalled that O Heraldo had reported how fakery, misappropriations, impersonations, lies and deceit of massive proportions were committed come in land-grabbing cases reported in South Goa, prominently in Salcete taluka.
Masterminds involved in some of the land-grabbing cases in South Goa have gone to the extent of creating fake, non-existent personalities in the names of their own relatives to grab land. Investigations have revealed that some of the accused persons have taken Portuguese passports and settled abroad by creating a series of fake documents cheating the original owners and all the Government authorities.
Meanwhile, reacting to the complaints against him, PI Suraj Samant said, “Coutinho is levelling these allegations against me in order to shut me out of the investigation further and prevent from going further into this case.”
PI Samant also stated that given the history of the accused, the conflicts he has with police and the scams he has executed there is a likelihood that the accused Coutinho may try to sabotage the investigation.