The history sheeter Zenito Cardozo who was involved into the 2009 Siridao double murder case has been sentenced by the Mapusa Seasons court to 3 years of imprisonment. Zenito was prosecuted under the assault and murder case of Santosh Kalel and Francis Manuel D’souza alias Miranda. What is the entire case is about and who else were involved into this? read the complete report here.
[su_expand more_text=”READ MORE” less_text=” ” height=”0″ hide_less=”yes” link_style=”button” link_align=”center”] This story goes back in the year 2009 when the fight took place between two rival groups at Siridao beach in Tiswadi north Goa. According to the police records, one was headed by Zenito Cardozo (then 20 years old) and another group was headed by Manuel D’souza alias Miranda (36) who got seriously wounded and Miranda’s associate Santosh Kalel (37) who died due to hit on his chest on the spot. Zenito was also injured in this fight and was admitted in the GMC.
Later police arrested Zenito on the charges of murder of Kalel. According to the sources, Agacaim police had registered a case of murder against Zenito and his associates Mahavir and Dominic for killing Kalel. They had also registered a case of attempt to murder against Miranda, Johnny, and other unknown persons, for attempting to kill Zenito and his associates.
According to the police reports, Zenito and Miranda were history-sheeters. Zenito was already in the news by then for attacking advocate Aires Rodrigues at a restaurant in Panaji, in October 2008. Zenito had been arrested and the police charge sheet. On the other hand, the police a few months back had proposed that the government impose the National Security Act (NSA) against Miranda as there were several cases against him but that did not happened.
According to sources, Zenito’s sister Cynthia told the media that Zenito is innocent and he was not involved in any attack on anyone, in fact, he was only defending himself from the attackers. “Three families had come for a picnic. While two families were at Bambolim, one was at Siridao. Between 4 and 4.30 pm, Zenito got a call from our cousin Judas to pick up his family from Siridao. My brother along with Mahavir and Dominic went to pick up Judas’s family at Siridao,” said Cynthia. She also alleged that the trap was laid for Zenito by the MLA’s son.
According to the version of Zenito’s Sister Cynthia, Zenito was called by the Miranda and his group to join them and then started misbehaving with him. “They started asking, ‘You are a goon? Who do you think we are?’ and when my brother objected, they started attacking him with glass bottles and knives,” she said. But police did not agree to Cynthia’s version and said that “When they started teasing Zenito, he took out his knife and started stabbing Miranda and his gang, who were drunk.”
The Mapusa Sessions Court sentenced history sheeter Zenito Cardozo 3 years of imprisonment in 2009 Siridao beach double murder case. The case of the prosecution was that accused Zenito, his associates Mahavir Nadar and Dominic Nazareth killed Santosh Kalel and seriously injured Francis Manuel D’Souza alias Miranda after a heated argument on 10th May 2009 at Siridao beach. Victims were residents of Merces.
The court in its judgment has discharged Zenito from murder charges and has held him guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The court while discharging Zenito from murder charges has observed that the murder was not pre planned and it happened due to instant fight. Because Zenito was also injured in the fight, the court has taken a lenient view. The court has also acquitted co-accused Mahavir Nadar and Domnic Nazareth from all the charges.
Source: Various sources
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