MINOR KIDS, 'PETTY' THEFT >>
* STUDENTS ALL: From Std 9 of a school in Valpoi
* INCIDENT SITE: The waterfalls at Pal-Sattari
* ITEMS ROBBED: About 40 mobile phones and cash
* WHEN: The thefts took place on Saturday and Sunday
* MODUS OPERANDI: By opening the seats of two-wheelers
* TECHNIQUE SOURCE: From social media clips
* POLICE ACTION: No formal charge to be framed
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Shocked school PTA
meeting tomorrow
VALPOI: The Valpoi school PTA has decided to convene an emergency meeting on Thursday morning, after expressing shock over the action of 17 boys of Std 9 in stealing about 40 mobile phones and cash from two-wheelers of visitors outside waterfalls in and around Pali-Sattari. The school management and parents of the Valpoi school have been appalled that a large number of students of one class were collectively involved in the theft. Meanwhile, Suryakant Shetye, former headmaster of Valpoi Hanuman Vidyalaya, has also expressed shock over the incident and felt the actions had been largely due to lack of effective parental control over their children. --------------------------------------------------------------VALPOI: In a shocking incident, about 17 minor boys from one class at a school in Valpoi have been accused of stealing about 40 mobile phones and cash from two-wheelers parked by visitors outside waterfalls in and around Pali-Sattari.
The accused students, all from Std 9, are believed to have committed the theft on Saturday and Sunday, after learning the technique of opening seats by watching videos on social media. Most of the stolen phones have since been recovered. According to reports, the incident took place as a large number of visitors had flocked to the waterfalls in Pal-Sattari on Saturday and Sunday. In order to safeguard their phones and wallets from getting wet or misplaced, they would secure their phones and wallets in storage spaces under the seats of their two-wheelers, which were parked by the roadside. However, dozens of visitors were surprised to find their mobile phones and wallets missing from the storage spaces of their two-wheelers and notified the Valpoi police. Suspecting a trend in the thefts, the Valpoi police began investigations and learnt that a group of minor boys were involved in the theft of mobile phones and cash. One of the minor boys was then taken to the police station and during questioning, spilled the beans. The boy admitted that 16 other boys from Std 9 of the Valpoi school were also involved in the theft of mobile phones and cash secured in two-wheelers. The boy also disclosed that they had learnt the technique of opening the seats of two-wheelers by watching videos on social media. Investigations were carried out in the Valpoi police station till late Tuesday night, as other students were summoned for questioning in the connection. The students revealed that 12 stolen mobile phones were kept in one house at Kelya-Pali-Sattari, while most were in the possessions of students. A staff member of the Valpoi school told The Goan that names of those children involved in the theft had been given to the Valpoi police and added that a special watch would be kept on them in future. When contacted, Valpoi Police Inspector Shivram Vaigankar said over 30 mobile phone were recovered from the minor children. “All students involved in the theft of mobile phones and cash are from Std 9 of a Valpoi school. We had received complaints from several people visiting the waterfalls at Pali, Charavane, Shelpe, and Hivre that their mobile phones and cash were missing from their two-wheelers parked in the vicinity of the waterfalls,” said PI Vaigankar. “These children had learnt the art of opening the seats of two wheelers and stealing mobile phones from the under-seat storage spaces,” he added. Asked if police would take action against the students, PI Vaigankar replied: “No formal charges will be framed against them as they are minors involved in petty theft. But they are likely to be produced before juvenile court along with their families.”
