The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the pre-arrest bail plea of former Goa tourism minister Francisco Mickey Pacheco, facing the charges of culpable homicide in the case related to the mysterious death of one of his woman friend.
Apprehending arrest in the case, Pacheco had approached the apex court after the Goa bench of Bombay high court rejected his anticipatory bail application.
A bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and A.K. Patnaik disallowed his plea observing that he was an “influential” political leader and might hamper the investigation after police wanted his “custodial” interrogation.
The court also took note of the investigation report that the deceased woman, Nadia Torrado, as per the post-mortem report, had over a dozen “contusion” marks on various parts of her body.
Police had booked Pacheco for culpable homicide in connection with the death of 28-year-old Nadia, who allegedly had died after consuming poison on May 30 in Chennai.
His close aide Lyndon Monteiro was also booked for “destroying” evidence.
The police though had questioned Pacheco on June 5 but let him go at that time. Fearing arrest any time, he had knocked the doors of the sessions court and the HC, which refused to grant him any relief before he moved the apex court. The Goa Crime Branch, meanwhile, once again interrogated Ms Torrado’s brother and Pacheco’s estranged wife Sara Pacheco. Sources said that Mrs Pacheco apparently told the police that the MLA had been having an affair with Ms Torrado for quite some time.