Aug 17, 2010
PANAJI: You have heard of women blackmailed by men seeking suicide as the way out. Here is a case of postmaster Prakash Gadgil, 54, who allegedly blackmailed by a young lady from rural Goa chose death over harassment and societal embarrassment.
Valpoi police have registered a case against beauticianRashiganda alias Rasika Shetye, 23, and said she may be arrested anytime. "Investigations are in progress and we have registered a case against Rasika for extortion and abetment to suicide," SDPO (Bicholim) Bousset D’Silva told TOI.
Police claim that investigations into Gadgil’s suicide revealed that he was being blackmailed by the lady and had deposited money into Shetye’s account. Police sources also said, "During interrogation Shetye said Gadgil was a good friend of hers and had gifted her the money. She also claimed that she was not blackmailing him." Police have, however, frozen Shetye’s bank accounts.
Gadgil hanged himself from the rafter of his bedroom roof with a nylon rope in his house in Dhavem on the intervening night of April 18 and 19, 2010. Police had initially registered a case of unnatural death after Gadgil’s brother reported the matter to the cops, and the autopsy revealed that Gadgil had died due to asphyxia as a result of hanging.
It was while police were searching his house that they found a note written in Marathi and left behind by Gadgil in which he explained the circumstances that forced him to end his life. In the note Gadgil alleged that a "close friend" of his, Rashiganda alias Rasika Shetye from Nanus in Valpoi, was blackmailing him with photographs she had stored on her cellphone and he couldn’t take it anymore. He also mentioned some phone numbers in the note and alleged that Shetye was asking him to pay her more money failing which she threatened to expose him. He also wrote that she had threatened to complain to the police that he had molested her, if he failed to pay the money.
"We are waiting for the report from the handwriting expert to confirm that the suicide note was really written by Gadgil," police sources said.
Gadgil further alleged that Sheyte was blackmailing him since November 2009 and had compelled him to withdraw about ` 1.5 lakh from his provident fund account to pay her for keeping quite. Gadgil had withdrawn the money from his account on December 12, 2009 and personally deposited it in Rasika’s account within two days.
"We have verified the deposit slip and preliminary investigations reveal that it is Gadgil’s writing. He had withdrawn ` 1.5 lakh from his provident fund account for house repairs and deposited the same in her saving bank account," police sources said. Police have sent the bank withdrawal slips for examination and verification of Gadgil’s signature.
Police said investigations revealed that Gadgil was a close friend of the accused and they had clicked photos together, with which the accused was blackmailing him. "The post office staff informed us that the accused would often visit Gadgil in the post office and they would spend hours together in the office," said police sources.
When police revealed the details of the probe to the family, shocked members were reluctant to lodge a complaint. Finally on June 9 this year Gadgil’s wife lodged a complaint against the woman who allegedly drove her husband to suicide.
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