To, The Editor
Goanet Dear Sir, I request you that you please publish my letter in your Letters to the Editor column. Regards Stephen Dias D.Paula] mob: 9422443110 (Former Scientist of NIO) Date: 18.5.2014 SEARCH FOR A SWORD IN MANDOVI ? The sword attack on Raju Sarin and Rafael de Costa by Zaine Almeida at the “Down the Road” pub and restaurant near the Ourem Bridge, the prosecution is requesting the Indian Navy to get the weapon traced which is thrown from the Mandovi Bridge by Zaine Almeida. The Navy has not yet taken any steps to carry out the search which is now, nearly two weeks. This weapon is a tiny one and considering the sea under currents and the pre-monsoon waves, the survey investigation by any agency will not give any concrete results. The exact location of the weapon position is also not known by the investigating authorities. Whoever is entrusted the job whether Navy, NIO or any agency one has to run full line kilometer parallel to the Mandovi Bridge with all kind of underwater equipment including underwater camera and underwater detector, side scan sonar and magnetic etc. This search could have been a bit easy if the survey was conducted immediately within one or two days time and the diver could have done himself this job. The detector instrument detects only if the sediment is not accumulated intensely on the weapon. The sea undercurrent must have dragged this weapon much deeper and away from the area known to Zaine himself. As an instrumentation expert in underwater surveys which we (NIO) team have carried out for a search of GOLD dumped by smugglers at Kosikad at Mangalore, could not achieve any results although they have told us within a week’s time. Though this amount of gold was in one small box, and much bigger than this sword, still we could not trace it with our sophisticated instrument and expertise technicians and scientists from NIO. Now that the Navy appears to be in dilemma and I am sure they will not be in position to detect with their equipment because of the sea current and pre monsoon waves as the weapon is already been buried much deeper. I suppose that the Navy has to follow, lots of formalities to get the clearance from their headquarters and for such a minuscule job and it is not advisable to bring their sophisticated equipment from their pavilion. Stephen Dias D.Paula (Former Scientist from NIO)
