In a major breakthrough, the Goa Police have apprehended a gang of burglars responsible for a string of house break-ins across North and South Goa over the past six months. The suspects, who conducted the crimes wearing masks, were involved in a series of burglaries, with cases registered across various police stations in both districts.
The Porvorim Police made significant progress last week, arresting two key suspects: 44-year-old Maria Santana Baptista, a resident of Benaulim, and 20-year-old Mohammed Sufiyan, a student from Margao. During interrogation, Baptista confessed to being the mastermind behind the burglaries, revealing that he and Sufiyan had been targeting homes since February 2024.
Further investigations led to the arrest of two other individuals: Filip Rato, also from Benaulim, who was responsible for selling the stolen gold ornaments, and Samar Pal, a jeweller from Margao, who aided in melting down the stolen items.
Police recovered a total of 442 grams of melted gold from jeweller Deepak Bandodkar in Margao, with an additional 100 grams of stolen gold still being traced. The arrests have successfully solved 19 cases of house break-ins, with the following breakdown:
• Porvorim Police Station: 4 cases
• Panaji Police Station: 4 cases
• Agassaim Police Station: 2 cases
• Mapusa Police Station: 1 case
• Anjuna Police Station: 2 cases
• Ponda Police Station: 5 cases
• Old Goa Police Station: 1 case
The Goa Police are continuing their investigation, and further recoveries are expected.
