Former employee Suresh, originally from Odisha, masterminded the Baina apartment dacoity by using his knowledge of the Nayak family’s residence layout, Director General of Police Alok Kumar said on Thursday.
South Goa SP Tikam Singh Verma stated that police are in the process of arresting a seventh accused linked to the case.
According to police, investigations have revealed that the six arrested accused have no previous criminal history. All the stolen gold, silver ornaments and cash have been recovered from them. Those arrested, apart from Suresh, include Bijay Kumar Swain, Banshidhar Malik, Suryakant Malik, Rajesh alias Sharat Malik, and Markandya Malik, all residents of Balasore district in Odisha.
Police said the Nayak family did not recognise Suresh during the crime because his face was covered and the dacoity was carried out in the dark. Suresh had worked as a helper at their shop for about eight months, and the family had not conducted police verification when hiring him.
DGP Kumar said teams were sent to Maharashtra and Odisha based on leads. All six accused were arrested on Tuesday, and nearly all stolen items were recovered. The team has returned to Vasco police station with the suspects and the seized property. Police will confirm with the family whether anything remains missing.
The DGP urged Goans to ensure mandatory verification of tenants and employees to prevent crimes. He emphasized that even if a person has no prior criminal record, providing their identity details to the police increases safety and helps crack cases swiftly.
He added that verification requires submitting a government ID, photographs and mobile numbers of tenants or employees. “There should not be a single tenant or employee who is not verified. That will make Goa safe,” Kumar said.
