log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8, 2025 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 111 GOA Hazardous waste remains unattended in Cuncolim IDC despite CM’s Oct deadline >> pg 6 Yachts & cruises: Sailing in style & celebrating adventure at sea IN SHORT >> Landslide hits bus in Himachal, 18 dead SHIMLA: At least 18 passengers were killed when a private bus was struck by a massive landslide in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district on Tuesday. The accident took place in Bhalughat area in Jhandutta assembly segment around 6:30 pm. The bus carrying 25-30 passengers was on its way from Marotan to Ghumarwin. Several people are believed to be trapped under the debris while three have been rescued, officials said.   >> See pg 8 Cujira school complex gets a new name PANAJI: The Cujira Integrated Educational School Complex will now be called as Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Vidya Sankul, Cujira. The Director of Education has issued a circular officially renaming the Cujira school complex. He said that all future correspondence, documentation and communication should be submitted in the new name and address with immediate effect. Protestors detained over Gaza demo PANAJI: Police on Tuesday detained several protestors who were staging a peaceful protest against Israeli actions in Gaza, Palestine, on charges of allegedly assembling without prior permission. The first group of protesters was detained near the Panaji Church, while another group was taken into custody at Azad Maidan. Minor goes missing from Zuarinagar VASCO: Verna police have launched a search operation after a minor girl from Birla-Zuarinagar went missing on Saturday morning. The girl reportedly left her residence along with a friend at around 8:30 am and did not return home thereafter. >> See pg 3 Three scientists share Physics Nobel prize STOCKHOLM: John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for research on seemingly obscure quantum tunnelling that is advancing digital technology. WEATHER >> Max: 31.3 C Min: 24.3 C Humidity: 90% TIDES Low: High: 05:05/17:22 10:53 ------- 2 GOA GHRC seeks prison report after People’s Watch flags SC directive 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 9 INFO Easy shampoo add-ons to keep your hair shiny Pre-dawn dacoity in Mapusa, doctor’s family held hostage ARMED 6-MEMBER GANG TIES UP FAMILY MEMBERS; DECAMPS WITH CASH, JEWELLERY WORTH `  LAKH 50 THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a chilling pre-dawn dacoity that has sent shockwaves across the State, a gang of five to six masked robbers broke into the bungalow of a doctor couple at Ganeshpuri-Mapusa, held the family hostage for nearly two hours at knifepoint, and escaped with jewellery and cash worth around Rs 50 lakh. The incident occurred between 3 am and 5 am on Tuesday  at the residence of Dr Mahendra Ghanekar and Dr Anuradha Ghanekar, both attached to the North Goa District Hospital (Asilo). At the time of the break-in, the couple’s 14-year-old daughter and Dr Ghanekar’s 80-year-old mother were also present in the house. HOSTAGE ORDEAL The robbers, armed with knives and iron rods, are believed to have gained entry ON PAGE 3 BRUTAL HEIST: The upscale bungalow of a doctor couple at Ganeshpuri-Mapusa that was broken into in the wee hours of Tuesday. (Right) The cut grill of the side window. Agnelo Pereira into the bungalow by cutting open the grill of a side window. One of them entered through the opening and unlatched the main door to allow the others in. Dr Ghanekar’s elderly mother, who usually wakes up early was preparing tea for herself when the robbers entered, was the first to come face-to-face with them. The gang reportedly helped themselves to tea and fruits from the refrigerator before waking the rest of the family. The assailants tied up the family members with bedsheets and gagged their mouths with pillow covers before threatening them to hand over valuables. Although the dacoits allegedly slapped and intimidated  the victims to extort more money, no one sustained serious physical injuries. “The burglars were speak- AAP, Cong in war of words over covert support to BJP PARTY LEADERS CONTINUE TO TRADE BARBS THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Political tensions between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress escalated further in Goa on Tuesday, with both parties trading sharp accusations of covertly aiding the ruling BJP. While AAP accused the Congress of enabling the BJP government and indulging in selective opposition, the Congress countered by questioning AAP’s political motives and alleged favouritism. Both the parties have been engaged in verbal spat following AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s statement that BJP and Congress are a team and that AAP would not like to form any alliance with Indian National Congress. On Tuesday, addressing a press conference, AAP leaders said that an alliance with Congress is not in the interest of the people of Goa alleging that the party has historically supported the BJP in the state and engaged in backdoor dealings. “We never opposed Congress and even helped them AAP V/S CONG: POLITICS ON FIRE „„Valmiki Naik said we never opposed Congress and even helped them win the South Goa MP seat. But an alliance with them isn’t in people’s interest... Congress aided BJP in 1999 and continues to support them „„Amit Palekar alleged Patkar received preferential treatment from the govt, claiming he was gifted thousands of tonnes of iron ore by CM „„Manikrao appealed to AAP to clarify whether it intends to contest elections against the BJP or Congress and also criticized what he called AAP’s attempts to undermine Congress win the South Goa MP seat. But an alliance with them isn’t in people’s interest. Congress aided BJP in 1999 and continues to support them, as Rahul Gandhi admitted in Gujarat,” AAP leader Valmiki Naik said. Naik also pointed out, “BJP claims to have 33 MLAs, but at least 22 to 23 are strong Congress leaders. Congress leaders make up two-thirds of today’s government. I am not supporting defection, but these are the facts. The Goa Congress unit is helping BJP come to power repeatedly, against people wish.” AAP Goa President Amit Palekar alleged that Congress Goa chief Amit Patkar re- ceived preferential treatment from the government, claiming he was gifted thousands of tonnes of iron ore by CM Pramod Sawant, raising questions of favoritism and backdoor deals. On the other hand, AICC Goa In-charge Manikrao Thakare appealed to AAP to clarify whether it intends to contest elections against the BJP or Congress and also criticized what he called AAP’s attempts to undermine Congress. “They are just trying to stir up trouble for the Congress Party. What is their agenda? >Continued on P8 ing in Hindi and had covered their faces. Their behaviour and precision clearly showed they were professionals,” said Dr Nutan Dev, mother-in-law of Dr Mahendra Ghanekar, who rushed to the scene after learning of the incident. CALCULATED CRIME The robbers escaped with cash and gold ornaments valued at nearly Rs 50 lakh, along with four mobile phones and CM assures swift action in Mapusa dacoity case; vows to nab culprits soon 6 months on, Dona Paula dacoity where elderly Dempo couple was tied still unsolved the family’s car – a move seemingly aimed at delaying police pursuit. The vehicle was later found abandoned under the Mandovi bridge in Panjim, around 12 km away. Police believe the dacoits were professionals, as the stolen mobile phones were later found discarded within 100 metres of the house – suggesting the thieves intentionally threw them away to avoid >Continued on P8 SPORTS Knight stands tall as England survives Bangladesh scare 14 4 rob Delhi house to fund casino trip to Goa, arrested GOLD, CASH WORTH `  LAKH LOOTED 30 PTI NEW DELHI Four men, including a jeweller, have been arrested in connection with theft of gold and cash worth around Rs 30 lakh from a house in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh, a police official said on Tuesday. The accused performed the heist to fund gambling at a casino and had booked their tickets to Goa for it, he said. According to the police, the main accused, identified as Jai Prakash (32), was notorious in Jahangirpuri and has a long criminal history with 15 previous cases of robbery and house theft. “On September 26, the Punjabi Bagh police station received a PCR call reporting a house theft,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said in a statement. The complainant said his wife discovered that several gold and diamond ornaments were missing from their almirah. Acting on the complaint, police registered a case and formed a dedicated investigation team. LOST TO THE GAME „„Police said the accused performed the heist over their gambling addiction „„Jai Prakash and Bigan had planned to fly to Goa the next day to splurge the money at a casino „„Their love for online games and luxury spending drove them to commit the theft “Over a week-long operation, the police scanned more than 1,260 CCTV cameras, tracing the suspects’ movement from a CNG pump in Punjabi Bagh to the Jahangirpuri area. The team identified the prime suspect, Jai Prakash. He was apprehended,” said DCP Bhaskar. During interrogation, Prakash disclosed the names of his two accomplices, Bigan Sah (26) and Jairam Sah (45). The team conducted multiple raids and arrested them. Further investigation revealed that a jeweller, >Continued on P8 Mumbai man held for defrauding Margao resident of over `  .5 crore 1 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The Cyber Crime Police Station arrested a 65-year-old man from Mumbai for allegedly defrauding a Margao-based complainant of Rs 1.52 crore through a fake online investment scheme. Police said that the accused, identified as Ronnie Philip Sequeira, a resident of Borivali (West), Mumbai. Superintendent of Police Rahul Gupta stated that the accused was arrested after a detailed financial and technical investigation traced fraudulent transactions linked to his bank account. “We found Rs 35 lakh was routed through Sequeira’s bank account, and preliminary findings suggest that he and his wife are involved in similar frauds in at least two other States,” the officer said.  The case, registered based on a complaint from the local, alleged the scamsters used multiple numbers and induced him to invest in an online trading scheme. When the complainant sought to withdraw the invested amount, the fraudsters reportedly demanded additional payments. SYMBOL OF EVIL: An artist shapes papier-mâché over a mould to create the face of the demon king in Porvorim on Tuesday. Effigies of Narkasura will be burned on Diwali eve, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. Narayan Pissurlenkar Govt rolls out new tax exemption to encourage vehicle scrapping THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a bid to promote scrapping of old vehicles and reduce pollution, the Transport Department has rolled out a new tax exemption scheme offering financial incentives for owners who register new vehicles against scrapped ones. Under the scheme, owners submitting a Certificate of Deposit for a scrapped vehicle will be eligible for tax benefits while registering new vehicle. As per a notification released, transport vehicles will receive a tax exemption of 15 % of the tax to be levied or Rs 75,000, whichever is lower, for up to eight years from the date of first registration. Motor vehicles other than transport vehicles will be eligible for a 25% exemption or Rs 75,000, whichever is lower. In the case of BS I Norm vehicles, both transport and non-transport will be granted a 50% tax exemption or Rs 75,000, whichever is lower. Similarly, medium goods vehicles, heavy motor vehicles, and medium and heavy passenger vehicles adhering to BS II Norms will also be eligible for a 50% exemption or Rs 75,000, whichever is lower. SC seeks details of 3.66L voters Karachi Goan who gave India its cricketing empire ANTHONY STANISLAUS DE MELLO: FAST FACTS excluded from Bihar’s poll roll MENIN RODRIGUES FOR THE GOAN ASKS WHETHER ADD-ONS ARE DELETED OR NEW NAMES PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to provide details of 3.66 lakh voters who were part of the draft voter list but were excluded from the final electoral roll prepared after Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, saying there is “confusion” over the matter. Noting that there were 65 lakh deletions when the draft list was prepared but names were added in the final list, the court asked whether the add-ons are “deleted names or new names”. The poll panel informed the apex court that most of the names added in the final list after the publication of the draft list on August 30 were of new voters and that no complaint or appeal has been filed till now by any excluded voter. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the directions after some petitioners said the EC has not given any notice or reasons to the deleted voters for their exclusion. The bench, which was hearing a batch of pleas challenging the June 24 decision of EC to conduct the SIR in pollbound Bihar, said the EC will submit whatever info it gets on excluded voters October 9, when it will hold the next hearing on these pleas. A mid the frosty relationship between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), not many may remember that nearly a century ago, the BCCI was founded largely due to the efforts of a Goan who was born and educated in Karachi. Anthony Stanislaus de Mello (October 11, 1900 – May 24, 1961) was a visionary administrator, a pioneer, and one of the greatest unsung architects of modern cricket. De Mello, who traced his roots to Sonarbhatt-Saligao, „„Co-founded BCCI in 1928, served as secretary (1928–1938) and president (1946–1951) „„Was founder-president of Asian Cricket Conference in 1948 „„Was driving force behind founding of Cricket Club of India in Bombay, and creation of iconic Brabourne Stadium studied at St Patrick’s High School, Karachi, was influenced by the school’s legendary educational and sporting „„Introduced the Ranji Trophy „„Was organising chairman of the first Asian traditions. SHAPING CRICKET He went on to become one Games (New Delhi, 1951) „„Founded Table Tennis Federation of Asia, also served as vice-president of the International Table Tennis Federation „„For over 7 decades (from 1951-52 till 2023-24), the ‘Anthony de Mello Trophy’ was awarded to the winner of England–India Test cricket series held in India of India’s greatest sports administrators and the co-founder of the BCCI in 1928. Serving first as the BCCI secretary (1928–1938) and later as its president (1946–1951), de Mello built the framework of an institution that today commands unimaginable power, prestige, and financial might in the world of sport. He was also the founder-president of the Asian Cricket Conference in 1948. De Mello’s vision stretched far beyond the BCCI’s headquarters. He was also the driving force behind the founding of the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Bombay and the creation of its iconic Brabourne Stadium. De Mello also introduced >Continued on P8