PANAJI
Goa, long accustomed to projecting enviable crime detection rates, is now grappling with an unnerving surge in robberies that has jolted the State’s confidence in its own policing. In just eight months, three major dacoities and a series of burglaries, thefts, and assaults have exposed glaring lapses in preventive policing and left residents questioning the safety of their homes -- more worryingly, of themselves within those homes.
The nature of the crimes, police sources admit, is something the State has not confronted in at least 25 years. The armed break-ins, executed with precision and alarming boldness, have introduced a disturbing new element: the alleged involvement of Bangladeshi gangs.
A NEW MODUS OPERANDI
The dacoities at the prominent Dempo residence in Dona Paula and the Ghanekar bungalow in Ganeshpuri, Mapusa, were allegedly carried out by a four-member gang from Bangladesh.
“The Bangladeshi gangs do not personally oversee the happenings in a locality. They have their person/s living in Goa who conduct the recce, gather information about occupants, and identify targets. These individuals harbour the criminals before and after the crime. The gang only executes the main crime in connivance with their accomplices,” a senior source familiar with the investigations told 'The Goan'.
Police also believe the same gang was behind the Mapusa dacoity, though none of the key perpetrators have been arrested. Their trail has gone cold.
THE DONA PAULA BREAK-IN
April 2025 was one of the year’s most traumatic episodes, when three armed robbers stormed the Dona Paula home of elderly couple Jaiprakash and Padmini Dempo. The intruders overpowered the security guard, entered the bungalow, and tied the couple to their bed as they ransacked the property.
Nearly six months later, amid mounting pressure, the police arrested 46-year-old Mahmood Ali from Uttar Pradesh, now residing in Calangute. Police alleged he helped the gang identify the house and sheltered them during the operation. Ali, who has a prior case under the Arms Act registered in Vasco, remains the only arrest in the case so far.
THE GANESHPURI STRIKE
In the Mapusa case, police arrested two men, Raju B from Uttar Pradesh and Safikul aka Sagikul from Karnataka, for their involvement in the dacoity at the residence of Dr Mahendra Ghanekar. But again, the alleged Bangladeshi masterminds remain untraced.
The police, in their recent submission to the Court, stated that several accused were Bangladeshi nationals residing illegally in India. This also includes the two arrested, who the police claim illegally entered India. The defence countered that there was “nothing on record” proving illegal residence.
A GANG THAT LEAVES NO DIGITAL FOOTPRINT
Sources described the gang’s method as chilling in its precision. The men allegedly avoided all electronic devices to stay off the grid — a tactic that has left the Goa police struggling in an era when the force is largely dependent on digital surveillance.
“As per our preliminary inquiry, these intruders are relying on human intelligence, while we lean heavily on electronic data. That’s the gap they exploit,” a senior official said, adding, “They coordinate without mobile phones, planning where they will meet after the crime, how to execute it, and what to do if something goes wrong.”
Sources said the gang also avoids carrying weapons after targeting homes, believing it helps them slip through police checkpoints afterwards. “They know that after the crime, vigilance increases and checking tightens. So they dump the weapons soon after the crime to avoid drawing suspicion,” the official said.
While the gang is not known to harm occupants deliberately, their restraint appears conditional. “They do not harm family members, especially the elderly, unless someone confronts them,” the official said. In the Ganeshpuri case, one member even asked the doctor’s elderly mother to make him tea, and the gang helped themselves to food in the house before making their way out.
THE ESCAPE ROUTE
By the time investigators pieced together the gang’s foreign links, the trail had already crossed borders.
Sources confirmed that by the time the police had pieced together information about the involvement of the accused, the gang members fled to their country. “We have nothing at the moment to approach the counterpart government, given their internal situation and the terms of our international treaty. Their arrest is likely only if they re-enter India,” the source revealed.
SYSTEMIC LAPSES, WIDER THREAT
Officials have warned that the pattern visible in Goa mirrors similar strikes across Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra — pointing to a roaming network of infiltrators who identify affluent, low-security homes.
“Several Bangladeshis who have infiltrated India are posing threats. These gangs have already targeted residences across several States, and Goa is now on that list,” police said.
The government has reportedly directed police to conduct a comprehensive review of all dacoities this year and coordinate with counterparts in other States for leads. The Baina robbery and the St Cruz theft, however, remain a blind case so far.
POROUS BORDERS ENABLE CRIMINAL NETWORKS?
Sources said the entry of Bangladeshi nationals into India remains nearly impossible to curb, given the porous stretches along the international border. While the Sundarbans mangrove forest is allegedly known as a major infiltration route, officials said easy access is also through some stretches of four other Indian states sharing borders with Bangladesh.
“Of roughly 4,000 kms of border we share with Bangladesh, nearly 1,000 to 1,500 kms are porous,” a senior official said, adding, “They slip through these segments and scatter themselves across states, where many are involved in organised crime.”
The police further said that several gangs move from one state to another after carrying out offences, exploiting gaps in coordination between police forces as well as border check-post security. “They flee immediately after committing a crime and surface in another state to repeat the pattern. It goes on,” the official said.
