Investigations into the daring armed rob bery at Dr Mahendra Ka mat Ghanekar’s residence in Ganeshpuri, Mapusa, have taken a critical turn, with police tracing the ac cused to Bengaluru. Nearly 30 hours after the attack, the investigation has re vealed that the gang was dropped off in Bengalu ru, and several suspects have been identified based on CCTV footage of the drop-off. Sources indicate that some members of the gang are suspected to be from Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Odisha. The call de tails of one accused have been successfully traced, providing police with a crucial lead. A Crime Branch team, led by PI Tushar Lotle kar and Vikas Deykar, has rushed to Bengaluru in the hope of intercepting the gang before they cross international borders into Bangladesh. The taxi driver, suspect ed of ferrying the gang out of Goa, was summoned to the Mapusa Police Station on Wednesday for inter rogation. The taxi has also been subjected to a thor ough forensic examina tion. Police are verifying whether the driver was an accomplice or was coerced by the robbers. The armed robbery had left Dr Ghanekar’s fami ly hostage for nearly two hours, with intruders as saulting and tying up fam ily members while looting valuables worth nearly Rs 50 lakh, including cash, gold, and silver. The cul prits had initially escaped using a taxi, abandon ing the doctor’s car near Mandovi Bridge, Panjim, before fleeing the State. The incident has trig gered widespread public anger, with locals question ing the police’s failure to respond swiftly and set up a nakabandi (blockade) im mediately after the crime. The ordeal left the family shaken and trau matised. After regaining composure, they managed to alert the police. How ever, by the time officers arrived at the scene and began preliminary checks, the dacoits had already crossed over into Belaga vi district, allegedly using the same taxi. Despite CCTV cameras installed around the house and nearby areas, police reportedly failed to act promptly on crucial footage.
Some residents allege delay in alerting border check points have given the gang ample time to escape Goa’s ju risdiction. “This is a clear case of police negligence,” said a local resident. “Had the nakabandi been set up immediately, the gang could have been caught before crossing the border.” The incident has also renewed concerns over police pre paredness and coordination in emergency response. Earlier, two special investigation teams from the Crime Branch had been dispatched to Belagavi, Mumbai and Hy derabad to trace the gang’s movements. Preliminary infor mation suggests the group could be part of an interstate robbery network involved in similar crimes in Ratnagiri about empowering farmers, but this kind of delay in a sim ple process like insurance approval is disheartening,” said Velip. and other regions. Police sources believe the gang’s opera tions may be linked to the still-unsolved April dacoity at in dustrialist Jayaprakash Dempo’s residence in Dona Paula, where masked assailants used nearly identical tactics. Senior officers have assured that the culprits will be nabbed soon, citing progress in tracking the suspects’ es cape route through CCTV footage and forensic analysis of the taxi used in the crime. The taxi driver, suspected of fer rying the gang out of Goa, was summoned to the Mapusa Police Station on Wednesday for interrogation. The vehicle has been sent for detailed forensic examination to deter mine whether the driver was an accomplice or acted under duress. Meanwhile, residents are demanding stronger police presence and preventive measures. A delegation of locals — including Dr Nutan Bicholkar, Ashwin Shirodkar and Dr Gauras Natekar — met Deputy Superintendent of Police Wilson D’Souza on Wednesday, calling for improved secu rity infrastructure. They urged authorities to increase night patrolling in residential areas, set up a police outpost near the bus stop, and install more CCTV cameras along key entry and exit routes. “The safety of citizens cannot be left to chance. We demand a permanent police presence in Ganeshpuri,” said one of the delegates. Police have recorded detailed statements from all mem bers of the victim’s family, who are reportedly under severe psychological distress following the attack. Officials have refrained from sharing further details, citing the sensitivity of the investigation
