The city police on Thursday night arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly breaking into homes at night in his underwear and staring at women and occasionally stealing cash, in an apartment complex on the outskirts of the city.
The accused, Tulsidas Shirodkar, resident of Taleigao near here, was taken to Panaji Town police station, after residents of Adwalpalkar Horizon collectively complained to the police.
“The accused has been booked under Sections 457 (trespass), 380 (theft), 354(c) (voyeurism) on Friday,” a police spokesperson said. “In three cases, complainants have said that money was also missing from the house, so we have booked him for theft,” he added.
In the complaint, some residents, whose homes had been broken into, alleged that Mr. Shirodkar was in his underwear with oil smeared on his body.
“I woke up once and saw him staring at me. I shouted in alarm, but he had disappeared before someone could arrive,” a woman said.
Another victim said that he was lying next to her and her relative when they were sleeping on the bed. “I felt something next to me and shouted when I felt it was another person. But at that time I thought it was a dream because when I put on the light nobody was there,” the woman said.
The police have activated a cluster approach dialogue with residents of various housing complexes in North Goa and housing societies and residents have been advised to streamline their security systems, strictly implement tenant verification systems and network with police personnel of the nearest station.