PANAJI: Goa police have busted an inter-state gang of mobile thieves and arrested 12 members just before they could sneak into Sunburn electronic dance music (EDM) venue at Vagator to target more revellers with high-end phones.
From what they stole so far, a joint team of North Goa police, Crime Branch, Anti-Narcotics Cell, and forensic experts seized 41 mobile phones from their possession, the value of which is estimated at Rs 30 lakh approx.At a press conference on Thursday, Superintendent of Police (North Goa and Crime Branch) Nidhin Valsan said the thieves are also suspected to be involved in the smuggling of drugs.
“We have arrested 12 persons, all of whom hail from Maharashtra, and seized 41 high-end mobile phones, most of which are iPhones. Their primary target was Sunburn venues and other tourist places within Goa. They came to Goa to commit the crime,” he said.
The Innova car, allegedly belonging to the accused, has been confiscated for investigation with the police suspecting it could either be stolen or used for other crimes as well.
Valsan further revealed that during the interrogation and investigation, the team recovered 8 grams of MDMA, indicating the thieves are likely actively involved in drug peddling. “We are looking out for other members of this gang. Our teams are already on the job,” the officer added.
Police investigation so far indicates that the thieves drove down to Goa around three days ago and checked-in two different hotels at Baga. On receiving intelligence inputs and scanning through CCTV cameras, the IPS officer said, their team was “able to apprehend the accused.”
“They were also trying to sneak into the Sunburn festival. During their interrogation, they confessed to purchasing the EDM tickets online…We are verifying their claim. They might be involved in multiple crimes…” Valsan said as he addressed the media with DySP Vishwesh Karpe at police headquarters, Panaji. Their interrogation by Calangute police will further expose the modus operandi of the accused and if they committed crimes in other states. "We have alerted other police stations in Goa and other states…" the senior officer said.
Replying to a query, Valsan said they have formed 10 teams who are deployed at various locations to crackdown on drug menace.
