PANAJI: Porvorim police arrested five persons, including two women, for allegedly breaking into a rented room in Marra, Pilerne, and robbing gold worth Rs 15 lakh and Rs 9 lakh in cash after threatening the victims at knifepoint. A neighbour of the victims is suspected of being involved, and partial recovery of the stolen property has been made.
According to Goa Police PRO, SP Crime Rahul Gupta, the incident occurred on March 17 at around 3:30 am when five armed persons broke into the room occupied by complainant Pappu Biswas and his wife. The accused reportedly used an iron rod to break the door latch and then threatened the victims at knifepoint before escaping with valuables.
"Based on technical evidence and CCTV footage, our teams successfully identified and arrested five accused persons involved in this case. Efforts are underway to locate three additional suspects who have been identified," said Gupta.
An FIR was registered, and police identified and arrested five suspects: Joyce alias Priya D’Souza (32) from Marra, Pilerne; Kalpana Barki (37) and Imran Shaikh (34) from Bastora; Subhash Kumar (27), a painter from Colvale; and Dhiraj Gupta (20) from Colvale.
“Investigation revealed that Joyce D’Souza, a neighbour of the complainant, was aware of the valuables in their possession and conspired with her associates Krishna Belgaonkar and Kalpana Barki. Krishna arranged additional accomplices, while Kalpana and Imran Shaikh organized a vehicle for the crime. The stolen gold and cash were reportedly divided at a hotel in Calangute,” said Gupta.
Police said D'Souza had a previous criminal record under Porvorim PS, while Krishna Belgaonkar was involved in a murder case at Calangute Police Station in 2018 and is currently out on bail. Kalpana Barki was previously implicated in the murder of her husband in 2018 under Curchorem Police Station's FIR
Police have recovered part of the stolen property, the knife used in the crime, the iron rod used to break the door, and the vehicle involved. Efforts are ongoing to locate three other suspects who have been identified.
