the goan I network
MAPUSA
A JMFC court later sent all seven to two days police custody
All the accused, Sharuk Pathan (22), Mohammed Sovnure (42), Husain Punjiwali (32), Ersad Nawad (42), Shabbir Kuluvanth (27), Santosh Kumar (31) and Shabir Kuandval (38), are natives of Hubli in Karnataka.
Police chanced upon the gang after receiving a complaint that a mobile phone was stolen from a woman at the Mapusa bus-stand.
The complainant, Sunil Metar of Chaporac on Friday reported that his daughter’s purse with a mobile phone was stolen at Mapusa KTC bus-stand. Acting on complaint, police staff was deputed to look out for people moving suspiciously at the bus-stand and the market area.
Some people were detained and after conducting a personal search, police found a mobile phone similar to the complainant’s description with one of the suspects.
After an intense interrogation, the suspect spilled more details and further revealed the names of his colleagues, who mainly targeted women and elderly people in crowded places.
“The modus operandi was to divert the attention of the commuters, mainly women and old people, by dashing them and then quietly slipping away with their mobiles and purses,” said Mapusa Police Inspector Tushar Lotlikar.
PSI Rohan Madgaonkar along with PCs, Rajesh Kandolkar, Irshad Watangi, Franky Vaz, Vijay Naik, Alvito D’Mello and Rupesh Korgaonkar were involved in apprehending the accused.
