PANAJI
The wave of thefts plaguing schools over the past 4-5 months is certainly shocking and concerning; but what's equally alarming is the effortless execution with which the thief/thieves carry out these crimes.
Breakthroughs in several cases are yet to be achieved with the Goa police acknowledging challenges owing to systematic modus operandi by the perpetrators. In nearly all cases, the police are grappling to determine whether the thefts are the work of one individual or a gang, as well as the motives behind fleeing with just cash and DVRs while sparing other valuable items such as laptops, computers, and even mobile phones, which are seized from the students and stored in schools’ offices or in principals’ cabins.
While majority cases reported in the South, three schools in Mormugao in a span of just few days have raised concerns about security breaches. In North Goa, one such incident occurred at a high school in Bicholim last December.
Superintendent of Police (South Goa) Sunita Sawant disclosed that many schools do not have in place adequate security measures, with some failing to install mandatory CCTV cameras too.
Sawant also revealed that concealing identities with hoodies or masks on to evade CCTV detection, and stealing DVRs to erase evidence of their crimes have posed challenges. Notwithstanding these, she said they are optimistic to track down the accused with technical experts and intelligence teams deployed across the district to gather leads.
“We are on the right track, and will soon zero in on the thief/thieves,” she added while speaking to The Goan.
Sawant criticized the lax security measures in most schools citing absence of security personnel during night time that has been providing perpetrators ample opportunity to commit theft without fear of being nabbed. “The accused are 100 per cent sure they won’t be caught because during the night time, there is no security. So also, several schools do not have CCTV cameras,” she added.
When asked about the possibility of a recce being conducted by the accused before committing thefts, she did not rule out the possibility.
Sources revealed to The Goan that with the absence of night security, thieves easily gain entry through the main doors of school buildings and access various rooms, including those of the principal or administrative offices, where they easily pilfer cash and DVRs but leave other electronic devices untouched.
