PANJIM: Following the recent spate of thefts, the residents of Aldona along with local MLA Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Aldona deputy sarpanch Abhitnya Satardekar met the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Omvir Singh Bishnoi to express their concern and seek solution to allay the fear and apprehensions of the people.
The residents told the police that thieves were targeting closed houses and those occupied by senior citizens or only women. According to residents, the thieves conduct a recce of the area and then return to attack at night. They demanded that patrolling must be intensified which had decreased and entirely stopped during the night.
SP North Akshat Kaushal, IPS was also present.
Adv Ferreira said, “There have been thefts recently reported at Dona Paula, Socorro, Aldona, Nachinola, Moira, and other places. These thieves come wearing helmets, hoods, and masks. They are so daring that they forcibly break open the doors even when people are inside their homes. There is even a video showing how one person entered the house through the pipe to commit the crime. People are apprehensive as if they confront these criminals they could be attacked. There is the matter of safety and security,” he said.
Stating that people should feel safe wherever they are, Adv Ferreira said that CCTV cameras were not effective and urged the police to devise a method to enhance safety in non-gated communities that lack security guards. “There is no safety for outsiders, senior citizens and women. Thieves are also now using minors to commit thefts, and once they are apprehended, this is a problem for the authorities as far as the law is concerned,” he said, hoping that the police will take prompt action.
