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The main accused and six other members of the Pardhi gang formulated the plan over 15-day stay at hotels in Ponda and Margao, before heading to Corlim for looting a house
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ASHWINI KAMAT
FLASHBACK
* Seven masked robbers loot a house at Corlim on March 7
* The booty includes cash, gold ornaments worth Rs 10 lakh
* Dacoits decamp in a stolen car after confining the inmates
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KARNATAKA POLICE
ARREST 5th ACCUSED
Old Goa police revealed that the fifth accused has been taken into custody by Bijapur-Karnataka police and would be brought to Goa within a week. It was informed that he is presently hospitalised as he has a fracture to his left leg.
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The sensational Corlim dacoity was well planned with the notorious Pardhi gang members plotting their plan of action from prominent hotels in Ponda and Margao days before they went for the kill, the main accused Vijay Patoli revealed to the police on Wednesday.
In his latest revelation, one of the four persons arrested by Old Goa Police in connection with the Corlim dacoity, 40-year-old Patoli stated that six members of the Pardhi gang including the arrested Siddharth Barse (27) and he stayed at hotels in Ponda and Margao and then in a rented flat in Margao between February 21 and March 7, the day when they carried out the dacoity at Corlim on March 7.
This is the first offence committed in Goa by the Pardhi gang, which is otherwise active in Maharashtra.
The gang derives its name from the Pardhi tribal community of Maharashtra as its members belong to this community, it was stated.
Speaking to The Goan, a member of the investigating team from Old Goa disclosed that Patoli is a mercenary who did similar work for numerous gangs.
In this case, Patoli booked a room at Hotel Menino in Ponda in his own name from February 21 to March 1. During this time, he met Pushpa Gadekar (52) and Dattatray Gawde (37).
With the help of the Goan duo, Patoli verified a host of houses and then selected the home of Keshavnath Naik in Corlim for carrying out the dacoity. He then proceeded to study the Corlim bungalow, chalked out the route to be taken during the dacoity and zeroed down on an escape route.
Six members of Pardhi gang, also made booking in Patoli’s name at Hotel Saaj in Margao for February 28. On this day, Patoli got in touch with the Pardhi gang and showed them the selected house and discussed the plan with them.
Old Goa Police station has attached the guest registration books of both these hotels which bear the name of Patoli on the specified dates.
On February 29, the seven men then moved into a flat near KTC in Margao, which they rented from one Martina D’Costa (58) till March 7.
“Patoli has revealed that the gang finalised the entire plan on March 2,” disclosed a source.
They were all picked up from this flat and were taken to Naik’s house in Corlim by Gawde and Gadekar in a rented jeep.
It may be recalled that seven masked robbers had looted the house at Corlim on March 7 robbing cash and gold ornaments worth about Rs 10 lakh and decamped in a stolen car, after confining the inmates of the house at knife point.
The masked persons, armed with knife and wooden stick, had entered his house by break opening the rear door between 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm and had confined the family members at knife point and wooden stick, and tied their hands, legs and mouth with a cloth available in the bedroom.
Goa Children’s Court has reserved for Thursday its order on grant of bail for Gadekar and Gawde. The arguments on the bail application were heard on Tuesday.
