PISTOL WIELDING GANG’S CHIEF CAUGHT AT COLVA

Police on Friday arrested Michael Fernandes, 25, the main accused in about 30 cases of dacoity, robbery, vehicle thefts, impersonation and chain snatching, in Goa and neighbouring states. An Agacaim Police team led by PI Vishwesh Karpe arrested Fernandes who was hiding from the police in a hut in Colva after three of his associates were caught on Thursday.

On Thursday evening, Calangute Police had raided a guest house in Siolim and found two persons—Raju Devar, 25, from Margao and Kalpesh alias Keval Shirodkar, 18, from Cuncolim—in the room, while two others—Yan John, 39, from Nagaland and Fernandes—jumped from the first floor of the guest house and tried to escape. Police, however, had caught injured John, while Fernandes had managed to escape. "After jumping from the first floor of the guest house, he walked to Mapusa where he had hidden a bike stolen from Panaji. He took the bike and drove to Colva and took shelter in a hut close to the beach," police sources said.

Police said there are six more members in the gang and Fernandes and Devar are the masterminds. "They would plan the crime in the guesthouse room and then late at night go to a joint at Calangute for a game of pool and some drinks from where they would go either in the car or bike to commit the planned crime," sources said.

"Michael was involved in a majority of the chain snatching incidents in the state. He would operate early in the morning between 6.30 and 7.30 and target elderly women going for morning mass. The gold jewellery was sold to persons in Margao for almost half the original cost," police sources said.

Meanwhile, police will initiate action against the owner of the guesthouse where the gang was hiding. "We will initiate action against the owner of the guest house at Marna, Siolim under Section 188 of IPC for not taking the photo identity of the guest house customers as per the notification issued by the deputy magistrate under Section 144 of CrPC," said SP (North) Arvind Gawas. The accused would sleep in the guesthouse in the morning and move out at night.

Police have recovered a pistol with live bullets from John, who was also involved in the attack on OId Goa panch Vinayak Phadte five days after his release from prison. "It was with this pistol that they would scare people and commit robberies and dacoities," police sources said. They have also recovered a chopper, the car in which the gang travelled and committed crimes, and two motor cycles used in chain snatching incidents where they posed as police officers.

Sources said the car in which the gang travelled belonged to Devar and has been used in a dacoity in Raia, from where they took cash and gold ornaments worth about Rs 7 lakh at gun point. They have also used the car to commit a robbery at Belgaum. Incidentally, while the original registration number of the car was GA 02 A 8602, they moved around with a fake registration number GA 01 A 3345.

Police sources added that about three months back the gang robbed a tempo driver at Quepem of Rs 1.4 lakh, while recently in Calangute they robbed a local and two foreigners at gun point and in another incident they took Rs 15,000 from two Pune tourists.

The gang was also involved in a chain snatching incident in Panaji where they posed as cops, besides an attempted robbery in a villa at Caranzalem, which was prevented by the alert owner who claimed to be a policeman's wife. They also chased a Porvorim resident late Wednesday night and robbed his mobile. (TNN)