Mapusa: In a breakthrough in the armed gang robbery at Indian Overseas Bank in Verla-Canca, Mapusa police on Sunday arrested prime accused Rajkumar Das, 33.
The latest arrest brings the tally to three. Police said they have identified all six accused, including the two masterminds. One of the masterminds, who is still on the run, was traced to Dodamarg in Maharashtra.
Early Saturday morning Goa police alerted the Dodamarg police of his whereabouts. They conducted a thorough search but were were unable to trace him, said police sources.
Mapusa PI Tushar Lotlikar said that Das, a native of Bihar, was residing at Canca for the past 10 years and operated a fast food centre at Porvorim.
"The investigation is headed in the right direction. Das is the one of the prime accused in the case. With his arrest, we are very likely to reach out to the other accused and recover the stolen items and arms used in the incident," Lotlikar told TOI.
Das was arrested at Bambolim after police were tipped-off that he would be meeting a person there. Sources added that he hatched the conspiracy to loot the bank by organizing accomplices from his native village.
Mapusa police recovered the stolen money in full from the bank's premises itself on Saturday. Customers' belonging are yet to be recovered.
The stolen Rs 11.86 lakh was recovered in a bag which the robbers were forced to leave behind owing to citizen and police pressure. Police also recovered a country-made pistol suspected to be from Bihar and attached the four-wheeler bearing a Goa registration which was used in the robbery bid.
The latest arrest brings the tally to three. Police said they have identified all six accused, including the two masterminds. One of the masterminds, who is still on the run, was traced to Dodamarg in Maharashtra.
Early Saturday morning Goa police alerted the Dodamarg police of his whereabouts. They conducted a thorough search but were were unable to trace him, said police sources.
Mapusa PI Tushar Lotlikar said that Das, a native of Bihar, was residing at Canca for the past 10 years and operated a fast food centre at Porvorim.
"The investigation is headed in the right direction. Das is the one of the prime accused in the case. With his arrest, we are very likely to reach out to the other accused and recover the stolen items and arms used in the incident," Lotlikar told TOI.
Das was arrested at Bambolim after police were tipped-off that he would be meeting a person there. Sources added that he hatched the conspiracy to loot the bank by organizing accomplices from his native village.
Mapusa police recovered the stolen money in full from the bank's premises itself on Saturday. Customers' belonging are yet to be recovered.
The stolen Rs 11.86 lakh was recovered in a bag which the robbers were forced to leave behind owing to citizen and police pressure. Police also recovered a country-made pistol suspected to be from Bihar and attached the four-wheeler bearing a Goa registration which was used in the robbery bid.
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