Goa gets new minister, Mickky key suspect in death

PANAJI - Police have named former tourism minister Mickky Pacheco as a prime suspect in the mysterious death of his 28-year-old alleged lover.

Mickky, a Nationalist Congresss Party (NCP) legislator who remains underground for the third day running, was Tuesday replaced by his NCP colleague Nilkanth Halarnkar in the 12-member Congress-led coalition government in Goa.

The portfolios of Halarnkar will be announced in a couple of days, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told reporters after the swearing in ceremony.

Mickky remains untraceable after police investigating the death of his 28-year-old alleged lover — who died due to poisoning — stepped up heat on him.

While Mickky applied for anticipatory bail at the Margao district and sessions court Tuesday, police added the charge of culpable homicide to the case involving Nadia Torrado, the alleged lover who died in a Chennai hospital May 30 after consuming rat poison.

The post-mortem report of the deceased shows nearly a dozen wound marks on the body.

Mickky, a controversial legislator who already faces charges of bigamy, extortion and assault, has been missing since Saturday after Crime Branch officials questioned him for nearly nine hours Friday.

Women activists and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have demanded a CBI or a judicial enquiry into the woman’s death.

Mickky also demanded a judicial probe into Nadia’s death and called the police investigation a ‘witch hunt’ against him.

Goa’s ruling dispensation includes the Congress, NCP, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and an independent and an unattached legislator each.

–Indo Asian News Service