PANJIM: Bardez witnessed a spree of robberies on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. While a temple and a chapel’s fund boxes were broken open and cash stolen along the Mapusa-Calangute road near Parra, a tailoring shopped was burgled in Revora.
Robbers broke the fund box of Sankleshwar Temple in Canca and decamped with Rs 10,000 and in another incident robbers were successful in breaking open the fund box of Miraculous Holy Cross Chapel of St Sebastian in Canca and stole Rs 5000. In the third incident reported in Revora, robbers burgled a tailoring shop, and managed to steal cash Rs 5000.
Reacting to the increasing number of theft and robbery cases in Bardez, Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo demanded that Goa Police innovate their mechanism of patrolling and vigilance.
He said, “I am seeing a downfall in the patrolling process of the police. It is very important that the police patrol all the localities, especially on bikes. Police were earlier on night patrol on bikes armed with rifles and therefore there was fear. Now that is not happening.”
The Calangute MLA said that the bank robbery had forced police to carryout night patrolling with armed personnel, however, that continued for about 10 days.
“The Director General of Police should device a mechanism of patrolling especially in areas around churches, temples and other religious places. There has to be some scare in the minds of the people who are coming to Goa with the intention of robbery,” Lobo stated.
He added that rounding up locals and having nakabandi at important junctions is not the solution. “More proactive role by beat constables will have to be seen and more vigilant patrolling is the need of the hour,” he said.
