Interstate search on for dacoits, cabbie quizzed

Mapusa: A significant breakthrough has been reported in the investigation of the brazen dacoity at Dr Mahendra Ghanekar’s bungalow at Ganeshpuri, Mapusa, with police detaining the driver of the taxi allegedly used by two robbers to escape the state. Police teams have now been dispatched to Karnataka and Maharashtra to trace the interstate gang.

“While the police are still in search of the dacoits, the taxi allegedly used by the accused to cross the state borders was intercepted by police, and the driver was detained and questioned on Wednesday. A forensic team is examining the seized vehicles,” the police said.

The dacoity, which occurred between 3am and 5.30am on Tuesday, saw a group of five to seven masked men, reportedly clad in burkhas and wearing beanies/monkey hats, hold four members of the doctor’s family hostage for over two hours, escaping with an estimated Rs 35 lakh in cash and gold.

The family included Mahendra (who was reportedly punched but not severely injured), his wife Dr Anuradha, an elderly family member aged 80 years, and a 14-year-old minor girl, all of whom were tied up using bed sheets and a saree, with cotton balls stuffed in their mouths. Mahendra and Anuradha both serve at the North Goa district hospital.

Police believe the gang members split up after the dacoity. Five robbers fled in their own car, while the remaining two stole the doctor’s car, which they later abandoned near the Panaji bus stand. “From Panaji, they hired a taxi for Rs 4,000 and were dropped off in Belagavi at around 8.30am on Tuesday,” police said. According to sources, the investigation is being hindered by the lack of CCTV coverage at the main Mapusa junction.

The dacoity was marked by the robbers’ extreme confidence and brazenness. Sources indicate the gang may have conducted a reconnaissance, with two members having allegedly entered Goa earlier for this purpose.

While fleeing, the dacoits stole the doctor’s car and removed the CCTV’s DVR from the house. They abandoned their weapons, including a knife and a hammer, outside the house. The victims did not resist the armed robbers, preventing a potentially violent turn of events.