BICHOLIM: As the year comes to a close, a worrying trend of rising crime has been observed in the State, with criminals operating boldly and seemingly without fear of the law. The latest incidents, resembling a pattern of organised thefts, have raised alarm, where schools have been targeted as students and staff are on vacation.
Unidentified thieves forcibly entered the premises of Mahalakshmi High School in Kudnem, Saturday night. They broke into the school, ransacked the office drawers, and made off with a substantial amount of cash estimated to be between Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000. The stolen cash included recently collected examination fees of Class X students.
A formal complaint was filed with the Bicholim police on Monday, prompting an investigation into the incident. Despite efforts, the police, aided by fingerprint experts and sniffer dogs have yet to find any leads.
In a parallel incident in Mollem, Dharbandora, a similar attempted theft occurred at Abhinav Vidyamandir Vidyalaya on Monday night. Fortunately, the thieves left empty-handed in this case. CCTV footage from the school is now a crucial resource for the ongoing police investigation.
Authorities are considering the possibility of an organised gang to be
behind these incidents, given the similarity of the thefts.
The surge in organised theft has prompted heightened security measures, with the hope that the captured movements and faces of the thieves on CCTV will aid law enforcement in bringing the culprits to justice.
