PANAJI: Verna Police have arrested two Uttar Pradesh natives and recovered construction materials worth around Rs 2 lakh, solving a theft case reported from a construction site behind Kesarval Hotel in Verna.
The accused have been identified as 30-year-old Punit Babdin, who was residing at Raibandar and working at a scrap yard for the past one-and-a-half months, and 31-year-old Sunil Mahngu Prasad, who was residing at Shapur-Bandora, Ponda. Police said Sunil has been operating a scrap yard for the past 15 years.
The case was registered after a contractor from Sancoale reported that unknown persons stole construction materials from the site behind Kesarval Hotel between 6 pm on July 19 and 9.30 am on July 20.
The stolen items included 40 MDS metal shuttering plates, 60 jack props, and TMT bar scrap of 8 mm, 12 mm and 16 mm.
During the investigation, Verna Police traced and recovered the stolen materials based on information provided by the accused. Both were arrested and produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), which remanded them to five days' police custody.
An offence has been registered under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Further investigation is being carried out to determine whether the accused were involved in similar theft cases.
