PANAJI
Goa police on Thursday said the six men arrested in the Rs 70-lakh Baina dacoity had operated with inside knowledge allegedly provided by a former employee of the victim’s family, whose details were never verified by his owner with the police.
Senior officers described the case as a “serious challenge” that required multi-state and multi-team coordination and round-the-clock investigation.
At a press conference held at police headquarters on Thursday, Director General of Police Alok Kumar said the prime accused had worked for the family till about eight to nine months ago and had used his familiarity with the household to plan the break-in.
“One of the accused had previously worked for the victim’s family and his verification with the police was not carried out by the owner. This accused, who worked as a helper, collected information on how to enter the house and what belongings were kept where. Based on this, he planned and executed the crime with his accomplices,” Kumar said.
The DGP insisted that tenant and employee verification is essential and mandatory; however, in this case, the family had not carried out the verification. The other arrested accused worked elsewhere.
“Despite our drive, many people are still not providing information to the police. This is a security risk,” he said, adding, “Even if an employee has no criminal antecedents, providing their photographs, identity documents, mobile numbers and home addresses allows police to work more effectively. It acts as a deterrent, a preventive measure, and it helps us investigate swiftly if an incident does occur. Tenant verification and employee verification are two areas where we strongly urge the public to cooperate and ensure maximum compliance,” he added.
South Goa Superintendent of Police Tikam Singh Verma reiterated that the accused’s verification was not done earlier, and confirmed that the man had left his job as a helper several months before the robbery.
Sources further informed The Goan that the former employee was routinely entrusted with moving cash or other things from the business premises to the family home on the seventh floor and had near-daily access. “Even after quitting, he allegedly maintained cordial relations with the family to keep track of their routines. The entire plan started after he left the job,” the source said.
Police officials said the Baina case was treated with urgency, with several teams dispatched to Maharashtra and Odisha after the police teams traced equipment and masks used during the break-in to suppliers in those areas. “After extensive fieldwork and by following every lead, we learnt that the suspects were in Maharashtra’s Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Badlapur after committing the crime,” Kumar said.
The six accused -- Bijoy Kumar Swain, Banshidhar Malik, Suresh Golak Malik, Suryakant Malik, Rajesh Sharat Malik and Markandya Malik -- all from Odisha, were arrested in Maharashtra following sustained surveillance. The police teams returned to Goa on Thursday with the suspects and seized property.
“Almost all recoveries have been made... items recovered include two crowns, two bracelets, four finger rings, three gold chains with pendants, an earring, two kamarpatta, four pairs of anklets, silver articles including chains, coins and diyas, and cash among others. We will tally everything with the victim’s family,” the DGP said.
The department said recent incidents had prompted a review of policing methods. “We know what steps are needed to prevent such crimes. We are examining night nakabandis, ways to enhance daytime visibility and how to improve intelligence on criminal movements,” Kumar said.
Internal instructions have also been issued to strengthen visibility and community participation.
“People should be hard targets,” DGP said adding, “We are trying our best to build security consciousness among the community. Senior officers will monitor all measures so that such incidents do not recur.” Kumar declined to disclose operational details on how the accused were tracked, saying only that “a 24/7 investigation was conducted.” Interrogation is ongoing.
Police also clarified that the Baina dacoity is not linked to recent incidents in Mapusa and Dona Paula, though the latter two are connected.
