PONDA: High drama prevailed at Borim on Tuesday after an alleged thief who the villagers nabbed and tied up, managed to free himself. He then ran for his life and took sanctuary in the nearby fields.
His joy of `freedom’ was short-lived as villagers scanned the area for two hours and finally traced him from his hiding place.
The incident happened at around 10 in the morning on Tuesday when a labourer employed at the construction site noticed a person moving suspiciously on the ground floor and was robbing money from the belongings of his co-workers and alerted the others.
The labourers then narrated the incident to the villagers who caught the criminal after a relentless chase and tied him up.
However, by the time they were waiting for the police to arrive, the thief managed to free himself, gave a slip to the villagers and disappeared into the fields.
However, three villagers including a panch were hell-bent on catching him. The trio then ventured into the muddy fields and finally found their ‘prized catch’ amidst the tall grass and also recovered the stolen cash from his possession. He was later handed over to the Ponda police. PI Vijaykumar Chodankar said they arrested the accused and are investigating the matter.
