TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: A young non-Goan couple, who fell in love on Facebook and fled from their respective homes to Goa and later resorted to robbing foreigners to make a living, was arrested by Mapusa police at Arambol on Wednesday.
The ‘love birds’ identified as John Rodrigues (20) from Karwar and final year ‘runaway’ student from Mumbai, Divya Chawan (21) are charged with a spate of robberies at Pernem and Anjuna. North Goa police also suspect their involvement in more such cases.
Superintendent of Police (North) Priyanka Kashyap informed that the couple specifically targeted foreigners on holiday. The arrests have led to cracking of three bag snatching cases reported by Ukraine and UK tourists, Kashyap told reporters at a press briefing at police headquarters, Panjim on Thursday.
“Their modus operandi was to snatch bags from the foreigners and disappear on their Karnataka registered Pulsar motorcycle. The girl would ride the bike while the boy would snatch bags,” she disclosed. The arrest was possible after a foreign national who was robbed clicked a photograph of the motorbike and posted it on Facebook explaining her ordeal.
The police further informed that the live-in couple would leave Goa and return to Goa after two months to avoid suspicion. “She has been missing from her residence for two months. Her family members had filed a missing persons’ complaint with the Vikroli police station,” DySP Mahesh Gaonkar who was part of the investigating team, said.
The duo told police they had met on Facebook and began dating thereafter. They took on to the crime after they eloped from their homes.
Police expect to solve more such bag snatching cases in the State while also admitting that house breaking thefts and chain snatching cases, have also seen a rise in the State. Kashyap said they have already asked all the police stations to inform about similar cases reported in their respective jurisdictions.
The department has not ruled out the possibility that they could be linked to a larger network of thieves. “We fell they are professionals (robbers)…. there could be more associates operating with this group,” Gaonkar said in the presence of Mapusa PI Tushar Vernekar who was also present during the briefing.
The officers claimed to have recovered a part of the stolen property including two expensive cameras of around Rs 70,000 each and cell phone, valued at almost Rs two lakh. Other stolen valuables, which the couple had purportedly hidden with their associates will be recovered soon, Kashyap said.
