MAPUSA
A local court on Saturday remanded all the accused to three days police custody.
The three accused, Sahid Ismael Shaikh (30) of Dhargalim, Archana Gurudas Vaigankar (31) of Dhargalim and Shafiabi Shabir Khan (23) of Keri, Sattari, were arrested late Friday evening near Mapusa bus-stand.
Police informed that complainant, Laxmi Dhargalkar (72) of Khorlim was taking a walk along the Khorlim bypass near Kamlabhai bar and restaurant at around 6 pm on Thursday. All of a sudden, a car (GA-11-A-1378) stopped ahead of the complainant and in a jiffy a woman got down from the car and snatched her mala and gold chain.
The complainant raised an alarm, but the accused woman managed to run away with the chain. The people who gathered around noted the registration number of the car and informed the police.
On Friday, police noticed the car moving around the Mapusa bus-stand and swung into action, apprehending all three accused, who later confessed to the crime. The car was also attached.
Police found a gas cutter and a bottle of chloroform in the car. Mapusa Police Inspector Tushar Lotlikar informed that one accused, Shaid Khan, had sold the car, which was used in the crime, to one Anoop Chandra Rajapati of Ponda for a sum of Rs 3 lakh in October this year.
"Rajapati has lodged a complaint at Ponda Police Station of his missing car on November 4," Lotlikar said.
The mala and chain are yet to be recovered by the police.
"We are investigating if there are more people in the gang and whether they are involved in other crimes," the PI said.
