MAPUSA
They came, they brandished guns and collected whatever cash they could lay their hands on, but in the end failed to take the booty with them.
The dacoits who took the trouble to rob the Indian Overseas Bank at gun-point left the bag with cash behind while fleeing from the wrath of locals, who had gathered in large numbers outside the bank on Friday evening.
Police recovered a bag with Rs 11.86 lakh cash within the bank premises late Friday night and the bank's cashier accounted for the entire amount.
The bank robbery went horribly wrong for the accused having been caught on the wrong foot first by the lady peon, who scampered out of the bank and alerted the public and later, by the locals.
Besides collecting cash of Rs 11.86 lakh from the bank, the accused had also picked some jewellery and mobile phones from the staff and customers in the bank.
"One gold chain, a bangle and three mobile phones are yet to be recovered," Mapusa Police Inspector Tushar Lotlikar informed.
MODUS OPERANDI: The accused came in a Tata Ace pickup (GA-04-T-5072), which has been seized from the house of one accused at Tivim. Police sources said the accused had used the pickup to travel from Dodamarg to Canca.
Police investigations revealed the mastermind, Raju Das, and some accomplices had stood outside the bank and were communicating with the other dacoits inside the bank. The pickup and a motorcycle were parked outside the bank premises.
But when people gathered at main gate of the bank, the dacoits fled from the premises and while 3-4 of them escaped by the pickup, two others left on a motorcycle. On reaching Tivim, they abandoned the pickup and later disappeared in other vehicles.
THE GANG: Mapusa Police informed that altogether six persons were involved in the bank dacoity, one of whom is in police custody, and another is recuperating in the North Goa District Hospital.
Mapusa police believes that the gang is from Charia Telbazar of Jamud District in Bihar. Although the accused are natives from Bihar, some of them have been living in Goa for more than 12 years, Mapusa Police said.
Police managed to get the identities of other dacoits from Hira Das, who is in police custody.
At least two of the four accused who are on the run have been identified and police expect to arrest them shortly.
The mastermind in the bank robbery is alleged to be a person, Raju Das, who runs a fast food joint at Porvorim, a police source said.
"They are professionals, as they have been involved in such crimes at their native place in Bihar. It appears they had not their home work well," a police source informed. "Moreover, the accused were intoxicated," the source added.
Police suspect that this gang may have also been involved in recent burglaries at ATMs and are investigating in that direction.
The police have formed teams which have sent to different directions to trace the accused from their hideouts.
Police has also attached one country made pistol and four live cartridges from the arrested accused. Police also found one empty cartridge which was fired by the dacoits while escaping from the bank.
Vijaykumar Das, who was assaulted by an irate mob is being treated in Mapusa District Hospital, while the other accused, Hira Das, has been remanded to two days in police custody.
