Hunt for Goa minister reaches Parrikar’s residence

The hunt for wanted former minister of Goa, Francisco Mickky Pacheco, who has been convicted in an assault case, has reached the home of Defence Minister Mahohar Parrikar, who earlier was the chief minister the state.

A court in Margao has issued a warrant to search Parrikar’s 10, Akbar Road residence in Delhi after an activist moved court, claiming that Pacheco was hiding in the vicinity.

Pacheco has been missing for three weeks after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction in the case, following which he resigned as the rural development minister in the Goa government.

“The order does not mention name of Parrikar, but the address is that of his,” petitioner Aires Rodrigues said.

Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar said they would challenge the court order. The opinion of the Advocate General has been sought on this issue.

The president of the Goa Vikas Party – an ally of the ruling BJP –  said Pacheco has several other cases against him, the charges include including that of extortion, assault, bigamy and money laundering.

In 2011, he had to resign from the post of tourism minister, after his name surfaced in connection with the suicide a woman called Nadia with whom he allegedly had a relationship. That time too, he had vanished for weeks. In the assault case, he was sentenced to six months in prison for slapping a junior engineer in the state’s electrical department in 2006.