A couple, including a runaway girl student from Mumbai, who began their career in crime after meeting on a social networking site were yesterday arrested for allegedly snatching bags of foreign tourists in Goa, police said.
John Rodrigues (20) and his girlfriend Divya Chawan (21) were apprehended in Pernem, 40 kms away from here, after they targetted a foreigner who identified their motorcycle, SP (North) Priyanka Kashyap told reporters here.
“The couple has admitted to committing three similar robberies in the past,” she said, adding they were operating as a part of gang. While Rodrigues hailed from Karnataka’s Karwar area, Chawan, as per police records, is “missing” from suburban Vikhroli of Mumbai since last two months.
The duo told police they had met on Facebook and began dating, before taking to crime.
“The accused had allegedly snatched bags of two Ukrainian and a Britisher who were holidaying in Goa. They used to target foreigners in the beach belt of Anjuna and Pernem,” the SP said.
Interestingly, Chawan used to ride the bike used in the crime.
“The duo would go back to Karnataka after committing the crime and resurface in Goa after some time on their motorcycle,” Kashyap said.
With the arrest of the duo, police is expecting to solve more cases of bag snatching in the coastal state.
