Six Bangladeshis arrested after gunfight; two escape, weapons seized, links to multi-state robberies emerge
PANAJI
Months after Goa’s most brazen home invasions exposed glaring vulnerabilities in the State’s security grid, police – the Delhi Crime Branch – have cracked the case, unravelling the cross-border criminal network that operated with precision and impunity.
The breakthrough not only cracks the year-old violent robbery at the Dona Paula residence of elderly couple Jaiprakash and Padmini Dempo – who were overpowered, tied to their bed and looted – but also solves the October 2025 heist at a doctor’s home in Ganeshpuri-Mapusa, a case long shadowed by suspicions of foreign involvement.
For months, Goa police remained tight-lipped as the investigation teams grappled with the complexities of tracking and nabbing suspects believed to be Bangladeshi nationals.
Meanwhile, the arrests, carried out in a high-risk midnight operation by the Delhi Police Crime Branch, exposed the hardened Bangladeshi dacoit network believed to be responsible for a string of violent home invasions across several states, with Goa emerging as a recurring target.
In an official press note issued by Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime HQ), Delhi, six members of the gang identified as Suman Hauldhar alias Pannu (35), Saifful Islam (31), Sohail Sheikh (35), Md Nasir (48), Noor Islam alias Nadim Khan (56), and Zakir (40) were arrested near Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi following an exchange of fire.
Four country-made firearms, ammunition, and house-breaking tools were recovered during the operation. Two other accused, identified as Shakayat and Illiyas, however, managed to escape. The accused are linked to at least 14 cases including murder, robbery, attempt to murder and other offences registered across Goa, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala.
Police said the group operated on a “hit-run-hide” model by illegally crossing into India from Bangladesh, executing targeted robberies across several states, and retreating across the border before detection.
“The team of AEKC had been continuously tracking the Bangladeshi dacoits who had initially targeted Delhi and later shifted operations to other parts of the country. During the past year, the gang targeted Goa twice, committing serious incidents of dacoity, injuring victims, and looting cash and jewellery worth lakhs of rupees.
The gang also carried out similar operations in Hubli, Karnataka. The team made sustained efforts to trace their movement, deployed sources, and maintained close coordination with the Goa Police. Goa Police also shared inputs with Delhi Police and vice versa,” Yadav said.
Explaining the operation, he stated that during the intervening night of April 14 and 15, the AEKC Crime Branch acted on pinpoint intelligence that a notorious gang of Bangladeshi dacoits – armed with deadly weapons and wanted in a trail of robbery, murder, and dacoity cases across Goa, Karnataka, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi – would assemble in a secluded forested area near the Sarai Kale Khan cremation ground to plan a robbery in South Delhi.
“The Crime Branch team cornered the gang at the location. In a desperate attempt to evade arrest, the accused ignored repeated warnings to surrender and opened fire on the police team. Exhibiting tactical restraint under life-threatening conditions, the officers engaged in a controlled exchange of fire, returning three rounds in response to the shots fired by the gang. The team successfully overpowered and apprehended six hardened dacoits,” he said.
The Delhi Crime Branch further said the gang’s modus operandi was to identify their targets in advance with the help of local contacts. They would force open the entry points in the early hours, after which occupants, often elderly, were overpowered, tied up, and in some cases assaulted. Gold and cash were the primary targets, with violence used to neutralise resistance.
Officials said the group had managed to evade detection for years by avoiding the use of mobile phones, frequently changing locations, and relying on a clandestine support network within India for logistics, weapons procurement, and reconnaissance.
