Goan pop star Remo Fernandez, who allegedly verbally abused a minor girl who was injured in a car accident caused by his son, is a foreign national and has obtained a Portuguese passport, Goa Police investigating the case said on Tuesday. While the Goa police said that the Padma Shri awardee Fernandez has obtained a Portuguese passport, they did not state when he actually became a foreign national, The Times of India reported.
The information came to light while the police was probing the case.
A car driven by Jonah Delalaye Fernandez, son of the singer, hit a minor girl on December 1 following which she was admitted to the Goa medical college and hospital. Remo allegedly verbally abused the girl in the hospital.
The Agasaim police, which is probing the case, sent the second summons issued to Remo to the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Panaji, and asked for it to be forwarded to the Indian embassy in Lisbon to be served on Remo in Portugal, the TOI report states, adding that the singer currently is in Europe.
Jonah too has got a summons.
The TOI had earlier also written about "Goans rushing in to obtain Portuguese nationality by surrendering their Indian passports in order to find jobs in Europe, especially in the UK. This year itself, up to August, an average of nine Goans a day surrendered their Indian passports. A Portuguese passport entails visa-free entry to 172 countries, and easier access to high-paying employment. Many Goans, who now hold a Portuguese passport, get better paid than other Indian nationals abroad."