MARGAO: The Margao town police hope to make a breakthrough in the number of house breaking cases reported in its jurisdiction in recent times following the arrest of one Ashok Singh a suspected “chaddi gang” member.
According to Police Inspector Patil, the “chaddi gang” so called because they wore shorts and were armed with knife, chilly spray and stones which they used against anyone who confronted them. They have been active in the town for the three years.
He said they usually come from outside the State by train in the early hours at around 4 am and scout the area they want to commit their crime in. They normally sit in open spaces preferring fields and have a drink in the night to observe when people go to bed.
First they pelt stones at the windows to check if the people are fast asleep and then break into the house or else they break into unoccupied houses as has happened near the power house area in Margao.
In fact Ashok was arrested near the power house area and a tool was found with him appeared to be the one used to force open the cupboard in one of the houses broken into.
It may be recalled that in the last week of May itself four flats in the same building were burgled while in nearby Fatorda other flats were also burgled. Besides, Yashodhan building at Aquem and two other buildings in the neighbourhood were also broken into.
However, now with the arrest of Ashok the police hope to make some headway in nabbing the gang even though the task appears difficult as Ashok appears to be a tough nut to crack and one who has not divulged any information as yet despite being in police custody for quite some time.
