Team Herald
VASCO: A 35-year-old conman who robbed several people in Goa by impersonating as policeman was arrested by Verna police on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, a team of Vasco traffic police comprising ASI Anil Gaonkar, ASI K G Naik, HC Sanjay Mahale, Pradeep Bhagat and Highway Petrol Staff HC Suresh Naik, Sriodkar, PC Bhikaji were present at the Cortalim junction and were carrying out traffic enforcement by stopping vehicles, while the highway patrol staffs were aiding the traffic police.
At around 10.30 am a dark tinted glass Maruti Suzuki SX4 vehicle proceeding towards Verna from Zuari Bridge was stopped and the driver was asked to lower the tinted glass window as they were unable to see anything inside the vehicle, which he refused. However, later he lowered the glass window a bit and tried to give Rs 100 note to the staff asking them to issue challan. However, all the police personnel surrounded the vehicle and the driver was forced to lower the car window.
At same time ASI Gaonkar who was earlier posted in Margao identified the driver as Augustine Carvalho (35), a resident of Majorda who is involved in several cases of theft/robbery and is currently wanted by Maina Curtorim Police Station in a robbery case registered on March 12, where Carvalho allegedly impersonated as a policeman and relieved a victim of his money.
“Due to the alertness of our traffic police, he (Carvalho) was caught and later it was confirmed that he is a history sheeter. During search of his vehicle police also found two laterite stones in the rear seat of his car and two stones in the boot (dickey) which makes us think that he had some design to commit some offence,” Vasco DySP Sunita Sawant said.
Sawant said that his modus operandi is that he visits internal roads, using laterite stones blocks the road, then, commits robbery and run away. At times he used to impersonate as a policeman and commit robbery. There are 13 offences registered against Carvalho all over Goa,” she said.
On January 29 this year, the South Goa collector had issued an expulsion order for one year from South Goa and since Carvalho has also violated the expulsion order, Sawant said, she would report the matter to the collector.
Carvalho is currently under arrest under Section 41 of CRPC and soon would be handed over to Maina Curtorim police station.
