17 Sep 2020  |   06:31am IST

Tourists assaulted & robbed by those who promised to find them accommodation

Team Herald

MAPUSA: In a startling case, tourists from Bengaluru were robbed and assaulted by those who pretended to be a tourist guide and promised to find them accommodation. 

According to Calangute Police, Girish Narashima Shetty, native of Bengaluru filed a complaint that on September 15 at 2.30 pm, one accused rider of a scooter namely Lalsab Ameen Nadaf (Malik), resident of Mapusa of acting as a tout, who made the complainant and his three friends who were moving in their car follow his scooter from Dolphin Circle in Calangute to a villa at Porvorim near O Coqueiro circle on the pretext of arranging accommodation.

Thereafter, the accused took them in the villa and further along with Manish Rauthan, native of Uttar Pradesh and Jaideep Duhal, native of Haryana assaulted the complainant and his friends. 

Further, another accused Anshuman Sharma, native of Delhi, forcibly removed cash amount of Rs 1,500 from the complainant’s wallet and used the debit card of the complainant's friend namely Dheendra and further tapped Rs 8,000 on the ATM card swiping machine of the accused person. 

Later, the accused persons threatened the complainant and his friends with dire consequences if they complained to the police. 

However, Calangute police managed to make a breakthrough and arrested accused persons Anshuman Sharma, Manish Rauthan, Jaideep Duhal, all presently residing at Porvorim and a case of dacoity was booked against them. 

Calangute Police Team comprising of Police Insector Nolasco Raposo, PSI Sushant Sangodkar, PSI Navin Dessai, Police Constables Vinay Shrivastav, Shasank Sakhalkar, Sindesh Sawant, Lady Police Constable Harsha Padloskar acted swiftly to apprehend the three accused persons.

The modus operandi of the accused persons was to trap the tourists from Calangute to a villa at Porvorim and thereafter loot them. 

The accused persons run a Wellness Spa at Porvorim behind Chodankar Nursing Home and are involved in looting of tourists. 

A letter is being moved to the Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Mapusa for sealing of the premises. 

PSI Sushant Sangodkar is further investigating the case under the supervision of PI Nolasco Raposo.