PANJIM: A snooker player, who participated in the recently-concluded 37th National Games held in the State, and his accomplice were arrested by Porvorim police on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in house breaking cases.
North Goa SP Nidhin Valsan said that the accused Suleman Shaikh (30), a resident of Nuvem and Shabbirsaheb Shadaval (30), a native of Karnataka were involved in a series of house burglaries and two-wheeler thefts in and around North Goa district.
Suleman Shaikh represented Goa in the snooker event at the 37the National Games.
“The accused would roam around on a two-wheeler which they had stolen earlier. If they would find the house locked and the owner away, they would break the latch and rob belongings from the house. We analysed footage collected by various CCTV cameras in Porvorim and Mapusa police station jurisdictions and then zeroed in on the accused,” Valsan said.
“Shabbirsaheb Shalavadi used to do second hand car dealing business. However, their addiction to casinos and lavish lifestyle led them to commit such crimes,” the police said.
Both the accused were involved in two cases of house break-ins at Porvorim, one case each at Mapusa and Mardol while one two-wheeler theft case at Porvorim and one bike theft case was reported at the Margao police station.
The SP further said that the police had recovered 162 grams of gold worth Rs 8.5 lakh and two scooters from them besides also traced stolen gold worth Rs 6 lakhs kept as mortgage with gold finance firms.
According to SP Valsan, during interrogation it was found that the accused had developed a habit of gambling and that is why they committed the crime.
The accused were planning to commit at least 10 house breaking thefts across the State, he informed.
The accused were not using mobile phones and the scooters used by them were stolen. So the police checked CCTV camera footages and developed clues and based on that succeeded in arresting the, said SP Valsan.
Billiards and Snooker Federation call for emergency meet
PANJIM: Expressing shock over the arrest of Suleman Shaikh, the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India vice president Sunil Morajkar said, “He (Suleman) had participated in our elaborate process and got selected to represent Goa. We are not equipped to find out the antecedents of a person nor are we interested in their private lives.”
“I have asked the Billiards and Snooker Association of Goa to call for an emergency meeting to discuss this and we will take an appropriate decision,” said Morajkar.
