Panaji: Goa Police have arrested five members of an interstate gang from neighbouring Maharashtra and recovered 15 of the 16 gold finger rings allegedly stolen from a jewellery shop in North Goa’s Candolim village, an official said on Sunday.
The theft was reported at the Calangute Police Station on June 26 by Uday Shirodkar, owner of Uday Goldsmith Jewellery Shop in Candolim. According to the complaint, a group of unidentified persons allegedly stole 16 gold finger rings from the shop at around 12.30 pm before fleeing the spot.
Soon after the case was registered, a special investigation team was formed. Police said technical surveillance, coordinated field operations and assistance from the Crime Branch’s technical surveillance team helped establish the identities of the suspects and track their movements.
A police team led by PSI Paresh Sinari, under the supervision of Calangute Police Inspector Laxi Amonkar, travelled to Raigad district in Maharashtra, recently. With the assistance of the local police, the suspects were apprehended from a hotel at Lorne in Raigad district, the official said.
The arrested accused have been identified as Pandurang Ganpat Pawar (76), Mangesh Bhau Surve (35), Satish Namdev Shinde (41), Joshna Anand Pawar (65) and Vimal Rajendra Jadhav (61), all residents of Maharashtra.
During the investigation, police recovered 15 of the 16 stolen gold finger rings from the accused. Efforts are underway to recover the remaining ring and ascertain the complete conspiracy and the role of each of the accused, the official said.
Police said the swift detection of the case was made possible through prompt investigation, technical analysis, interstate coordination and effective use of surveillance systems.
Police also found that the gang had allegedly been involved in a similar offence in Uttarakhand, where its members had earlier been arrested by the state police, the official added.
