MARGAO: Salcete taluka has witnessed a series of burglaries in the past week, with incidents involving the theft of cash, gold ornaments, and mobile phones from residences and workshops. However, the police have yet to make headway in solving any of the four cases, including an attempted break-in with the miscreants caught on CCTV cameras.
Cuncolim police registered two theft cases this week, wherein gold ornaments together valued at over Rs 14 lakh were reported stolen. Despite seeking assistance from the dog squad and fingerprint experts and interrogating several suspects, no arrests have been made so far.
In the first incident, a residence in Balli was burgled, resulting in the loss of gold ornaments worth approximately Rs 4.32 lakh. The second case involved the theft of cash and gold ornaments totalling around Rs 8.5 lakh, including Rs 15,000 in cash, from a house in Cuncolim. Both cases have been registered under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC against unknown individuals.
A senior police official who preferred to remain anonymous told O Heraldo that their probe is ongoing, and that the police have analysed CCTV footage and gathered people’s statements to create sketches/images of possible suspects, which are being compared against their list of history-sheeters who are currently not in prison. Fingerprints lifted from the crime scenes are also being compared with known robbers in the area, he added. “We have gathered intelligence and are building a list of suspects, and also considering migrants who may have left Goa. If we find concrete leads, may have to trace them to other States,” explained the officer.
Additionally, Verna police registered a theft case on April 19, following a complaint from Khedi Prakash, a resident of Cortalim. Prakash alleged that three individuals entered his workshop from the rear and stole four mobile phones belonging to his staff, collectively worth around Rs 75,000. An offence has been registered under Section 380 read with Section 34 of the IPC against unknown persons.
Last Sunday, an attempted break-in at a house in Betalbatim during broad daylight was captured on CCTV footage obtained by Colva police. Despite this evidence, progress in the case has been slow, and no arrests have been made thus far.
The police are yet to solve several daring robberies reported in the past six months across Salcete, including the six schools that were burglarised, and a jewellery shop break-in at Chinchinim.
