You must be joking when you say there were hardly any thefts during pre-liberation days.
Not only there were regular robberies but in North Goa there was a professional gang that lived in caves on the hill between Anjuna and Parra. The head of the gang was Kismonath from Bhatti/Zamblinnim. He was also a murderer. These robbers robbed not only Anjuna but also adjoining villages, Mapusa town and far villages like Colvale, Tivim, Asnora, Siolim, Oxel, Calangute, Candolim, Verem, Guirim, Porvorim, Salvador do Mundo, Saligao, Pilerne, etc. How did they know which house to rob? Well, their associates (they had at least one member from each village, including a local food provider,) who were daily laborers, besides performing general work also repaired or stitched houses in March, April and May. While they did house-stitching job, they would take an X-Ray of the whole house from the open roof, including location of a gun, if there was one, and rob houses accordingly. They did try and avoid houses which had a gun. If they robbed such a house, they made sure that they laid their hands on the gun first and then looted the person at gun point. Many of the robberies took place during monsoon season when people take advantage of cool weather and go to sleep early or whenever they locked their house(s) and went away. Large houses were designed with "kaslettichim daram" (doors with hinges), which were secured from inside at night with an "addambo" (thick wooden door bar), which made it almost impossible to break in, unlike "vateachem dar" - door with a protruding round end, which fitted into a round slot in the ground as well as top. The robbers used a "paroi" (crow bar) to lift a "vateachem dar" from the ground slot and then made an entry in the house. But this task was difficult for them if the door had an "umbro" (ridge) outside. The windows of large houses also had "kaslettichim zonelam" (windows with hinges), which made it difficult for robbers to make an easy entry into a house through them. Every window now has a steel grill. But they had other innovative ideas to break into a house - through the roof tiles. They would begin the job when it rained heavily i.e., they would remove a tile or two, cut the "kamb" (wooden strip) on which tiles are placed and create enough space so a person could pass through it. They then used "baimcho razu" (coir rope used to draw water from well), which they tied to a rafter and landed in the house. This is why it was a rule in every house in the past to bring baimcho razu inside before going to sleep. Once a robber was inside, he opened a door or a window and let other partners in the house and then voilà - the robbery took place. Since there was no electricity, the head of the family usually kept a match box handy next to his/her pillow; those who could afford kept a battery torch. The first thing robbers did was to look for the match box or torch and take it away. Every year, we lost at least one dog. Why? Because our dogs chased robbers at night whenever they climbed down or up the hill; so, they poisoned them. Thank God they never robbed our house. They also robbed people at night dressed as policemen. They would knock on the door and ask people to open the door for them in the name of one of the Mapusa police officers. Their den was raided by Portuguese soldiers by following a person (name withheld) who prepared food for them at home and carried it to their den on the hill in a basket. Kismonath as well as his associate, food carrier, were two of many prisoners who were set free by the Indian army when they liberated Goa. The food carrier was one of the guys who claimed to be a freedom fighter and received government grant until he died two years ago! They say: "To catch a thief, you must set a thief." Although Kismonath walked free from Mapusa prison, based on his past record and people's feedback, he was singled out by the police as a notorious guy and was assigned to monitor bad activities, including thievery in Anjuna. Before that, they made sure that they weakened his hands by damaging tendons. He was required to report to Mapusa police station every alternate day. As far as robbing is concerned, we say in Konkani: "Chorunchi itchea aslear kitlei upai ghetlear, chor chorunk zai zalear chortoloch." (No matter how strict measures you take, if a robber intends to rob, he will anyhow.) The only good thing during the Portuguese regime was that when one was caught and imprisoned, he was punished so severely that he would never want to commit theft again. But professional robbers took their chances and carried on with their activities. It's like Saudi Arabia. If one is caught with drugs, he/she is beheaded. Yet, there are some who take chances! Even now locals are hand in gloves with bhaile in thefts and murders. You will realize this if you recall the good old Konkani saying: "Bhitorlo bhedi, bhailo chor!" Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Gaumvaddy, Anjuna, Goa Tel: 9420979201; Off: 0832-2274954
