Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court at Merces has remanded five Bangladeshi nationals accused in the Dona Paula dacoity case to 14 days of judicial custody as the Goa Crime Branch continues its probe into the interstate robbery network.
Investigators revealed that the accused intentionally stayed away from mobile phones and other electronic communication methods to avoid detection through technical surveillance. Instead, the gang reportedly functioned in small teams of two or three members and coordinated movements through fixed meeting locations, including railway stations, bus stands and beach stretches.
The disclosures surfaced during the initial interrogation of the five accused who were recently taken into custody by the Goa Crime Branch after being arrested earlier this month by the Delhi Crime Branch.
Police have linked the accused to two major robbery incidents in Goa — the Dona Paula dacoity reported on April 20, 2025, and another case registered at Ganeshpuri in Mapusa on October 7, 2025.
According to investigators, the group allegedly entered India through the Meghalaya border before travelling through different states and eventually reaching Goa. Police said one of the accused, identified as Noor Islam alias Nadim Khan, had previously been lodged at Colvale jail and allegedly used his knowledge of Goa to help identify wealthy residential properties as targets.
During the robberies, the gang is suspected to have used rods and knives procured from local markets to intimidate occupants. Police said the accused would allegedly force entry into bungalows, inspect the layout of the houses, locate accessible rooms and restrain family members before escaping with jewellery and other valuables.
The accused were brought to Goa on transfer warrants by a Crime Branch team headed by PI Dattaguru Sawant and PI Kishore Ramanan following their arrest by Delhi Police. They were initially produced before the JMFC court in Panaji and placed in police custody for interrogation.
Crime Branch officials said further questioning is in progress to trace the stolen valuables, determine how the weapons were sourced and investigate whether any local contacts assisted the gang during their operations.
