Encouraged by R K Barve of Maharashtra, Apte entered Goa illegally in 1949 and found a job as a private teacher of the Marathi language for Hindu students in
Pernem but he soon returned to Maharashtra after an arrest warrant for illegally entering Goa was issued against him. He entered Goa illegally again in 1950 under the false name of Mohan Ranade, with the assistance of Vishnupant Vaze, and again began working as a Marathi language teacher for a small private group of Hindu students in
Savoi Verem. He used to encourage his students to act in retaliation against the Portuguese, but was again arrested and deported for entering Goa illegally. As a member of the organization, he was involved in the liberation of
Silvassa in 1954 and then entered Goa illegally again. He was incarcerated at the
Caxias prison near
Lisbon where he was kept in solitary confinement for the first six years. He was released in January 1969, more than seven years after the
Annexation of Goa by India in December 1961, and having served almost fourteen years in prison. The intervention of
C. N. Annadurai (then
Chief Minister of Madras State) through
Pope Paul VI was instrumental in securing his release. ==Honours==