Goa minister questioned by Crime Branch

Goa Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco was Friday questioned by Crime Branch officials in connection with the mysterious death of his alleged paramour, who died last week after consuming rat poison.

Pacheco was summoned to the Crime Branch office in Dona Paula on the outskirts of Panaji and was quizzed by Crime Branch officers.

‘There are certain suspicious aspects to the death of Nadia Torrado, which need clarifications from the tourism minister,’ a Crime Branch official told IANS.

Along with Pacheco, the family members of the deceased have also been called for recording of their statements.

Twenty eight-year-old Torrado’s death at a Chennai hospital Sunday, 15 days after she consumed Ratol, a commercially available rat poison, has triggered an uproar in Goa.

The opposition has demanded the minister’s resignation from the cabinet to facilitate an impartial probe.

Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar also said that either the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer should probe the case.

Women’s groups in Goa also insisted on Pacheco’s resignation and demanded an exhaustive enquiry.

The minister, however, has called the police action a ‘politically motivated witch-hunt’ and asked for an enquiry into Torrado’s death by a retired high court judge.