Pics: Jeevan D'Costa
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JD)
Udupi, Nov 1: Udupi City Police have successfully apprehended Manjunatha, an inter-district thief hailing from Bengaluru, in relation to a case involving the theft of gold and silver ornaments from Kunjibettu, Udupi. The stolen jewellery has also been recovered.
The accused, Manjunath, a resident of Bhubaneswari Nagar, Bengaluru, broke into the residence of Ammunje Vithal Das Naik in Kunjibettu on October 9 at 11:00 AM, where he made away with gold and silver jewellery valued at Rs 73,06,800.
The theft occurred on October 8 between 7:30 PM and 10:15 PM. The accused forcibly entered the residence by breaking the locks on the front door and the master bedroom doors. Subsequently, he opened the locks on the bedroom almirahs and made off with approximately 1,882 grams of gold jewelry worth around Rs 66,36,300 and silver assets weighing 7,450 grams with a total worth of Rs 6,70,500, resulting in the overall value of the stolen assets amounting to Rs 73,06,800.
The Udupi City Police, under the leadership of Inspector Manjappa D R and PSI Puneet Kumar G E, formed a special team for the investigation. Consequently, on October 31, they took Manjunath into custody, along with a vehicle, near Balaipade Junction.
During the operation, the police seized a total of 530.909 grams of gold jewelry worth Rs 31,55,930 and silver jewellery worth Rs 15,12,000, along with an Eco vehicle bearing fake number plates valued at Rs 2,50,000, and iron rods. It was revealed that the accused had been involved in multiple theft cases occurring in the jurisdiction of various police stations, including Brahmavara, Tarikere, Araseekere, and Banavara. He already has more than 60 cases registered against him in different police stations across Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Davangere, and Chikkaballapur.
This operation was conducted under the guidance of investigating officer, Inspector Manjappa D R of the Udupi City Police Station. The investigation team also included police personnel Satish Belle, Riaz Ahmed, Vishwanath Shetty, Kiran K, Anand S, as well as Hemant Kumar M R, Sivakumar H M, N Obalesha, Jasa Yohana, and technical staff Dinesh and Nitin Kumar. The operation was carried out under the direction of superintendent of police Dr K Arun IPS and the oversight of additional superintendent of police Siddhalingappa S T, and DySP Udupi Sub-Division Dinakara P K.