Panaji: Police have launched a manhunt for five unidentified suspects linked to last week’s alleged shootout at Porvorim. The crime branch, after scrutinising CCTV footage from the crime scene and Tivim railway station, found that five people were involved and that all of them stayed at Tivim railway station after arriving in Goa.Investigators also concluded that the group used two vehicles in the attack — one two-wheeler and one four-wheeler. CCTV footage indicates the suspects conducted a recce for nearly four days before the incident, with a four-wheeler repeatedly moving around the Porvorim hotel during that period.A senior crime branch officer said police suspect the vehicles used were stolen and that the number plates were changed to evade detection. The officer added that the accused did not stay at the hotel, choosing instead to remain at the railway station to conceal their identities, and they did not use mobile phones. Police suspect that after the crime, the accused abandoned the two-wheeler at the scene and fled in the four-wheeler.DGP Alok Kumar said the investigation is under way and that the accused would be arrested soon.On Monday, chief minister Pramod Sawant transferred the case to the crime branch for further investigation. Police have not yet determined whether the suspects have left Goa or are still hiding in the state.The shootout took place on Aug 25, when two unidentified assailants allegedly opened fire on Shrinivas Nayak, director of Majestic Pride Group, which operates offshore and onshore casinos in Goa. CCTV footage showed the suspects waiting outside a hotel before targeting Nayak, who escaped unhurt. The assailants allegedly fired three rounds and fled when hotel security personnel tried to stop them.Porvorim police registered an attempt to murder case. They questioned several people seen speaking with the accused at the hotel before the incident, but have not found any leads, and the assailants remain unidentified.
