Accused linked to robberies targeting elderly residents
PANAJI
A team from the Goa Crime Branch (CB), led by two police inspectors and 20 personnel, left for Delhi on Monday to take custody of six Bangladeshi dacoity suspects arrested earlier this month in a midnight encounter by the Delhi Crime Branch.
Official sources said the team, headed by PI Dattaguru Sawant and PI Kishore Ramanan, departed by Rajdhani Express and is expected to return to Goa on Thursday with the accused under escort.
“The team will reach Delhi on Tuesday and complete the handover and transit remand formalities. It will then leave for Goa on Wednesday with the accused and arrive the next day,” a source said.
The suspects are being investigated in two major home invasion cases in Goa — the violent robbery at the Dona Paula residence of elderly couple Jaiprakash and Padmini Dempo in April 2025, and the October 2025 dacoity at a doctor’s house in Ganeshpuri, Mapusa.
The six accused — 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 on the night of April 14–15 near Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi after an exchange of fire.
Police recovered four country-made firearms, ammunition and house-breaking tools. Two other suspects, identified as Shakayat and Illiyas, reportedly escaped.
According to the Delhi Crime Branch, the gang is linked to at least 14 cases, including murder, robbery, attempt to murder and dacoity, across Goa and other states.
Officials said the gang followed a ‘hit-run-hide’ pattern — illegally entering India from Bangladesh, carrying out targeted robberies, and then fleeing across the border before being tracked.
They also carried out prior reconnaissance with the help of local contacts, targeting houses in the early hours, especially those with elderly residents. Gold and cash were their main targets, and violence was used to overcome resistance.
