PANJIM: In what could have been a major success for the Goa Police has become an embarrassment for the department as calls by an informer to the police control room went unattended as thieves broke into several shops into Porvorim.
The culprits involved in series of house breaking theft at Porvorim would have been caught red-handed if the PCR had received the repeated calls from the active citizen.
Sources at Porvorim Police Station have informed that one person who was in a car at Porvorim had noticed the movement of thieves and had seen them while breaking the locks of Wheel Planet shop at Porvorim with a chopper and cutter.
Immediately, he tried calling PCR on 100 at least 15 times but his efforts went in vain and he was forced to head to Porvorim Police Station.
However, by the time the police reached the spot, the thieves had accomplished their mission looting Rs 55,000 cash from the counter.
Similarly, they attempted to break other three shops in the same area but couldn’t find any cash.
Porvorim police have registered the case under Sections 454, 457 and 380 of IPC. The Maharashtra registration vehicle, which was used in the committing the offence has been identified by the police and a team has already been sent to Raigad where the vehicle was registered. According to border check post at Patradevi the vehicle no MH-06/ BE 0995 entered Goa at 3.40 am on Monday and the informer called on 100 at 4.30 am, but Porvorim police state they received the information at 6.10 am from the complainant, who is a owner of one of the shops.
A senior police officer stated that if the call was received on time then police would have trapped the culprits by alarming all the neighbouring PCR vans.
Herald investigations revealed that Police Control Room (PCR) of Goa Police is completely paralyzed, out of seven units only three are operational due to lack of staff appointed at PCR.
According to sources, on Sunday night, only two officers were on duty to attend all the calls, which are received on ‘100’.
An officer speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the staff, which is sanctioned for full-fledged PCR is not available for duty and most of the ladies staff, who were sanctioned are either on childcare leave or maternity leave due to which the PCR is facing hardship.
Presently, four lady staff are on childcare leave and two are on maternity leave.
Besides handling call on 100 number, the PCR staff has to attend calls on senior citizen helpline, coastal terror helpline, women & child helpline and police exchange.
