Lobo’s ‘friend’ Gajendra Singh and ex-Calangute PI tried to frame Souza Lobo owner Jude Lobo in false cases

PANAJI: After the Goa Crime Branch took over the Souza Lobo restaurant vandalism case, several new instances have come to light.

Among the many discrepancies is the subtle, yet apparent complexity and involvement of the Calangute MLA Michael Lobo in the entire case.

In press statements after the attack Lobo claimed it was a fight between staff of two restaurants but things seem otherwise.

Apparently, Michael Lobo – the incumbent MLA is in good terms with known criminals and history sheeters – Gajendra Singh and Sunil Bhomkar – and one could even call them friends or associates.

Singh and Bhomkar have several cases of flesh trade, trafficking, prostitution rackets etc., in Goa and the rest of the country and have been in and out of jail.

In fact, Singh is also declared as “wanted or “absconding” by a court in North India. Singh and his associates run several “ladies dance bars” in the Vagator to Nerul belt and the premises are used as pick up points for the flesh trade.

It was the same Sunil Bhomkar and Gajendra Singh who along with their henchmen attacked the Souza Lobo restaurant in December, last year.

The North Goa Sessions court has observed in Bail App No 18/2022 before the Court of the Ad-Hoc Addl. Sessions Judge at Mapusa, that Gajendra Singh in cahoots with the former Calangute police inspector Nolasco Raposo had tried hard on several occasions to frame the owner of the Souza Lobo restaurant in false cases ranging from drug possession/sale, possession of illegal firearms, rioting etc.

Reading the observations and remarks made by the court in the bail order reveal that Police Inspector Raposo was dancing to the tunes of Gajendra Singh, who in turn took orders from one Abhishek Gupta (associated with the Baga Deck restaurant) and a Delhi-based businessman named Rajeev Arora, who runs a property/club next to Souza Lobo on Calangute beach.

Michael Lobo is a partner in The Baga Deck restaurant along with 2-3 others and Abhishek Gupta is closely associated with Lobo. He was also allegedly the go-between person between Lobo and Gajendra Singh. According to insiders and restaurant owners in Calangute, Abhishek Gupta is called a ‘partner’ of Lobo for such off-the-record deals, but there is no hard evidence to prove this.

According to Jayesh Naik of a social forum Goan Voices, “the court bail order of one of the alleged accused states that ex PI Nolasco Raposo under pressure from one of the main accused Gajendra alias ‘chotu’ Singh and another influential person (whose name is not stated by the court as he is not a party in the case), coerced and forced the witnesses and complainant to change statements, alter testimony and manipulated the facts of the case to either support some persons like Gajendra Singh, or dilute the complaint of Souza Lobo.”

In fact, it is evident upon reading the concerned bail order and facts at hand, that the Superintendent of Police who was in-charge then, even tried to arrest the owner of Souza Lobo and his staff, on trumped up charges, fake charges, when they were the actual victims of the attack and aggression.

Para 57 of the bail order in Bail App No 18/2022 before the Court of the Ad-Hoc Addl. Sessions Judge at Mapusa reads:

“It is also notable that Navin Kumar claims that “Chotu sir” (Gajendra Singh) told him that he would pay for his medical treatment. Further perusal of Navin Kumar’s statement indicates that Chotu Sir got a phone call from PI Raposo at 10.30 pm. Then, after 15 to 20 minutes Stanley Braganza also got a phone call from Chotu and called them to the police station along with those who were injured. When Navin Kumar reached the Calangute police station with a bouncer, he had seen Chotu Sir was already present in the cabin of PI Raposo. After Navin Kumar narrated the incident to PI Raposo in a separate room PI Raposo went outside and had chat with Chotu Sir and later came inside the cabin and threatened Navin Kumar and told him to say that he was unknown in Calangute and that he should file a complaint as per the say of PI Raposo. Navin Kumar was also told that if the complaint was given as per their say, they would look after his needs. PI Raposo and Chotu also told Navin Kumar that they had powerful contacts with high profile people and they would support and help him.”

While this is just one observation in the order, there are several others. From this order itself, with the court’s remarks and observations, it is clearly evident that the Calangute police station was all along hand-in-glove with the accused persons, under the influence of ‘powerful people’ including politicians and criminals alike, like Gajendra Singh and Sunil Bhomkar – who have several police cases pending against them in Goa and other states and several attempts were made to implicate and file false cases on Jude Souza, owner of the Souza Lobo restaurant.

Not just that, the gang tried to “create or cook up” fake attacks and pin them on Souza Lobo to camouflage their own criminal actions. Read More Here

Editor’s Note: Michael Lobo was not available for comment, in spite of several attempts to contact him. In case he responds to us, we will update this story with his version or side of the story.