PANAJI
As the 18th decennial exposition of the sacred relics of St Francis Xavier concluded on Sunday with a record turnout of 8 million devotees, the Goa Police reported around 140 arrests and several cases including those against hawkers and beggars to ensure the event's smooth conduct.
Details shared by Superintendent of Police (North) Akshat Kaushal reveal that the district police booked 11 persons under the provision of section 35(1) of BNSS 2023 while three others faced action as per the provision of the Beggars Act. Besides, a total of 100 persons were booked under the various sections of the Indian Police Act for hawking and obstructing public and transport.
“Overall, we booked two theft and (chain) snatching cases which were effectively detected with recovery and busting gang of six members. Also one prominent thief was arrested in prevention. There are 140 arrests under prevention as suspects, preventive law and order, beggars and hawkers,” he said. In the crackdown, the Old Goa police recovered stolen gold worth over Rs 1.28 lakh “ Rs 95,000 (for gold weighing 3.1 gms and 8 gms) and Rs 33,500 (for gold weighing 5 gms).
The gang, including elderly members from Maharashtra, was zeroed in on and subsequently arrested using CCTV footage from strategic locations around the Basilica of Bom Jesus and See Cathedral.
In a separate case, police arrested Vasant Mani, from Tamil Nadu, for possessing stolen valuables including a laptop and watches worth Rs 2 lakh. Kaushal revealed that Mani had stolen the bag from a train from its owner Narendra Mendon in Mumbai, while the latter was travelling from Bangalore to Mumbai. Mani was remanded in judicial custody for ten days.
The police claimed that hawking and begging were completely curbed, ultimately providing free and comfortable paths to public and a free flow of traffic
As many as 1,200 police personnel were posted on a daily basis with an additional 320 officers on peak days. High-tech surveillance included 450 CCTV cameras, six AI-based devices for facial recognition, and strategic deployments of Quick Reaction Teams and commandos from the Anti-Terrorist Squad.
