Panaji: In a swift operation, Panaji town police arrested three burglars from Uttar Pradesh who were involved in a series of shop thefts in the city. The accused were intercepted on a bus while attempting to flee, thanks to timely intelligence from Panaji beat staff and assistance from Kolhapur police.
North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal said, “The intel of the Panaji beat staff was so good that the accused were traced to the bus in which they were escaping. With Kolhapur police’s help, they were brought down and arrested.”
The burglaries occurred over consecutive nights. On April 9, Mayank Madiar filed a complaint that burglars broke into the ‘W for Woman’ store at Ribeiro Building by bending the shutters and breaking the toughened glass, stealing Rs 11,000.
On April 10, Rahim Virani of ‘Mansur Enterprise’, near Cafe Tato’s, reported a similar break-in with Rs 1.5 lakh stolen.
Prayot Vaigankar, of ‘Aaradhya Wine Stores’, near the Old Secretariat, also reported that Rs 3,470 in cash and a mobile phone worth Rs 10,000 were stolen using the same method. Another Rs 5,000 was reported stolen from ‘Casa Barreto’, near Panaji Municipal Garden.
Using Smart City CCTV footage and local intelligence, Panaji police identified and apprehended the accused:
Mustakeen Dasna
Mohammad Hamed Musahid (alias Gabaru)
Mohammad Chote
The operation was led by Panaji PI Vijaykumar Chodankar, and all accused are now in custody as the investigation continues.
