Team Herald 

MAPUSA: Mapusa police have managed to trace Giridhar Das, the mastermind behind the bank robbery at Verla-Canca on Friday. He was traced at Dodamarg.

Giridhar Das is a native of Uttar Pradesh and was working in a hotel at Dodamarg since past few months. The plan to rob the bank was hatched at Dodamang where all the culprits had a meeting.

Meanwhile, Dodamarg traffic police have seized the motorcycle used by the culprits for using two number plates.

Meanwhile, Mapusa police have recovered Rs 11.80 lakh that was robbed at gun point at the Verla-Canca branch of Indian Overseas Bank on Friday. The police have also recovered a country made pistol from the accused.Besides, the police have attached a Tata Magic pick up van (GA-04-T- 5072) allegedly used by the culprits for executing the crime. 

Police informed that they recovered the cash from the bank premises itself. Police said that the culprits packed the cash in a bag, but before they could flee with the same, some people raised an alarm and in the mêlée the robbers fled from the bank premises apparently leaving the cash bag behind. 

However, the police are yet to recover the gold ornaments and three mobile phones which the robbers had snatched from the bank staff and customers.

Police said that seven persons, including the two who are currently in their custody, were involved in the crime; they are natives of Patna in Bihar. The accused reportedly came down to Goa on December 4 and executed the crime on Friday. 

Police suspect that three members of the gang were keeping a watch around the bank premises when four executed the crime.

The seven suspects reportedly have criminal history in Patna and some are even on the wanted list. 

Meanwhile, police have received the CCTV footage of the crime from the bank in which the faces of two culprits are clear. The gang reportedly had a local contact with whose help the culprits planned and executed the crime.