log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline THURSDAY APRIL 16, 2026 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 15 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME XI, NO. 298 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 3 2 Gang involved in high-profile Goa robberies busted in Delhi In peak summer, Margao nullahs still flow with sewage GOA Bhironda stretch of Mhadei River emerges as death trap for bathers LIFE From free play to packed schedules: Rise of summer camps SIX BANGLADESHIS ARRESTED AFTER GUNFIGHT; TWO ESCAPE, WEAPONS SEIZED, LINKS TO MULTI-STATE ROBBERIES EMERGE THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI Months after Goa’s most brazen home invasions exposed glaring vulnerabilities in the State’s security grid, police – the Delhi Crime Branch – have cracked the case, unravelling the cross-border criminal network that operated with precision and impunity. The breakthrough not only cracks the year-old violent robbery at the Dona Paula residence of elderly couple Jaiprakash and Padmini Dempo – who were overpowered, tied to their bed and looted – but also solves the October 2025 heist at a doctor’s home in Ganeshpuri-Mapusa, a case long shadowed by suspicions of foreign involvement. For months, Goa police re- CRIME SYNDICATE BUSTED „„Six Bangladeshi gang members arrested after gunfight „„Linked to Dempo house robbery, Mapusa heist „„Gang involved in 14 cases across multiple states „„Operated on ‘hit-runhide’ model; cross-border operations from Bangladesh „„Elderly victims targeted, tied up and assaulted „„Firearms, ammunition and house-breaking tools seized „„Gang used local contacts, avoided phones to evade detection mained tight-lipped as the investigation teams grappled with the complexities of tracking and nabbing suspects believed to be Bangladeshi nationals. Meanwhile, the arrests, carried out in a high-risk midnight operation by the Delhi Police Crime Branch, exposed the hardened Bangladeshi dacoit network believed to be responsible for a string of violent home invasions across several states, with Goa emerging as a recurring target. In an official press note issued by Sanjeev Kumar Ya- dav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime HQ), Delhi, six members of the gang identified as Suman Hauldhar alias Pannu (35), Saifful Islam (31), Sohail Sheikh (35), Md Nasir (48), Noor Islam alias Nadim Khan (56), and Zakir (40) were arrested near Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi following an exchange of fire. Four country-made firearms, ammunition, and house-breaking tools were recovered during the operation. Two other accused, identified as Shakayat and Illiyas, however, managed to escape. The accused are linked to at least 14 cases including murder, robbery, attempt to murder and other offences registered across Goa, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala. Police said the group op- Shivaji statue removal at Sada deferred erated on a “hit-run-hide” model by illegally crossing into India from Bangladesh, executing targeted robberies across several states, and retreating across the border before detection. “The team of AEKC had been continuously tracking the Bangladeshi dacoits who had initially targeted Delhi and later shifted operations to other parts of the country. During the past year, the gang targeted Goa twice, committing serious incidents of dacoity, injuring victims, and looting cash and jewellery worth lakhs of rupees. The gang also carried out similar operations in Hubli, Karnataka. The team made sustained efforts to trace their >Continued on P9 SAMRAT CHOUDHARY SWORN-IN AS COLLECTOR CITES LAW AND ORDER CONCERNS; FRESH DATE TO BE DECIDED AFTER REVIEW BIHAR'S FIRST BJP CM  >> See pg 7 THE GOAN I NETWORK MARGAO In a significant development, a high-level meeting chaired by the South Goa District Collector Egna Cleetus on Wednesday has decided to defer the proposed removal of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Headland Sada scheduled on April 16. The meeting has taken the decision considering the requirement for adequate de- >PAGE P6 A cultural void in Bardez: Big talk, zero progress on Ravindra Bhavan >PAGE 10 THE INTERNET AFTER BROWSERS: RISE OF AN AGENT-DRIVEN WEB IN SHORT >> Justice Shinde takes charge as Goa Lokayukta PANAJI: Retired High Court judge Sandeep Shinde assumed charge as Goa Lokayukta on Wednesday, nearly 40 days after his swearing-in, filling a post vacant since December 2024. A former judge at the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court, he retired in January 2023 after six years. Earlier, he served as Mumbai’s Chief Public Prosecutor. The Lokayukta’s office had been headless since Justice (retd) Ambadas Joshi’s tenure ended, stalling hearings in over 20 pending corruption cases. 93.70 pc pass CBSE Class 10 exams NEW DELHI: More than 93.70 per cent students cleared Class 10 board exams with over 55,000 of them scoring above 95 per cent marks, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced. MLA opposes removal of statue on MPA land, proposes 'middle path' >> See pg 2 ployment of armed police forces and to ensure that necessary arrangements are put in place to maintain law and order. The Mormugao Port Authority had proposed to undertake the removal of the statue at Headland Sada on April 16 in compliance with the directions of the High Court. In this regard, a meeting was convened by the South Goa District Collector on Wednesday in the presence of the Superintendent of Police, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Mamlatdar, Police Inspector, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, and officials of the Mormugao Port Authority, wherein the matter was reviewed in detail. The Collector informed that the meeting jointly decided to defer the proposed removal of the statue, considering the requirement for adequate deployment of armed police forces and to ensure that necessary arrangements are put in place to maintain law and order. Further decisions in the matter will be taken after due assessment of the situation and in coordination with all concerned authorities. 8 SPORTS R Vaishali becomes first Indian to win FIDE Women’s Candidates 15 Cyber frauds surge in Goa; shift to high-tech organised networks Call diversion trick, fake ‘digital arrests’ and global fraud links come to light THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In the span of less than three weeks, Goa has found itself at the centre of a sophisticated surge in cyber-enabled crimes. A rapid-fire succession of investigations has unmasked an evolving digital underworld where fraudsters have abandoned crude scripts for high-tech manipulation. In less than 20 days, the State has witnessed a shift from simple phone scams to highly coordinated operations that exploit both telecom vulnerabilities and the psychological vulnerabilities of its residents, now beyond the One-Time Passwords (OTPs) and digital arrest scams. One of the most alarming and latest tactics identified is a deceptive 'courier scam' that manipulates the basic functions of a mobile phone. As reported by The Goan, victims receive calls regarding a 'phantom parcel' and are instructed to dial a code starting with *21*, to resolve the issue. In reality, this command silently activates unconditional call forwarding, diverting incoming calls – and critical voice-based bank alerts or OTPs – directly to the hackers' „„Shift targeted from basic foreign OTP scams nationals to high-tech, „„Victims coordinated frauds duped into paying THE „„Hackers divert DIGITAL via untraceable gift bank alerts and cards HEIST „„Links to nationOTP verification calls to their devices wide Rs 77-crore „„Rise in 'digital arrest' mule-account syndicate scams using fake CBI/judibusted in Gujarat ciary impersonation „„Over 320 cybercrime „„Illegal villa-based call cases registered in 2.5 centres in Karmali, Corlim years; 200 under probe devices. “Once the calls are diverted, the fraudster positions himself between the bank and the customer. Alerts, verification calls, even OTPs can be rerouted,” a senior police official said, adding that no official complaints have been filed regarding the new modus operandi so far. The sophistication of these operations comes amid the rise of “digital arrest” cases, already reported across India. With several cases reported, in one such instance, the cybercrime unit arrested a young Maharashtrian for Rs 60 lakh fraud. The accused allegedly impersonated senior officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the judiciary, using WhatsApp video calls to place victims under “virtual surveillance”. Through a calculated mix of legal jargon and fabricated threats, victims were coerced into transferring large sums into mule accounts. A Panaji resident was among his victims. The threat is not confined to external actors, as recent raids in Karmali and Corlim >Continued on P9