Fugitive Briton lived in Goa for 3 years
Briton Ajay Kaushal who was detained by the Goa police late on Monday night after a tip-off that he was wanted in the UK, had lived in Goa for three years, police sources told Deccan Herald.
“We’ve learnt that after he fled from the UK, he lived here in Colva (South Goa) for more than three years with a British woman,” a senior official said.
Kaushal, 50, wanted by the Lancashire police for kidnapping and extortion had been on the run for over five years. He skipped bail before the trial and was sentenced ‘in absentia’ to 15 years in prison in January 2005.
Had the Lancashire police notified Interpol, Kaushal might have been nabbed much earlier, senior officials here say. He travelled hassle-free between Bangkok and Goa without rousing the least bit of suspicion, even though he figured in the Lancashire police’s ‘most wanted criminal’ list. The passport he was carrying had been recently renewed at the British embassy in Thailand.
Working on a tip-off that Kaushal matched the description of the wanted criminal, South Goa SP Allen De Sa got in touch with the Lancashire police to confirm the details. “It’s difficult to believe there was no red corner notice put out for such a big criminal,” he said.
Extradition and remand
While the Goa police have sought judicial remand for the Manchester man, the British authorities are working on his extradition.
Kaushal arrived here from Bangkok on Saturday with another Briton, William Scott. They took up separate rooms at Amigos Hotel, Colva, but Scott, 39, was found dead early on Sunday. His room was locked from the inside, and there were no injuries on his body. The post-mortem has reserved the cause of death, but the police say the evidence points to a drug and alcohol overdose.
Kaushal’s passport details reveal he travelled a lot between Bangkok, Pattaya and Goa. The police say he promised to show Scott the nightlife in Goa.
DH News Service
