Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)
Kundapur, Jul 27: The Kundapur police have arrested four persons for serial thefts which occurred at a mobile shop in Koteshwar, Vighneshwara Complex at Hemmady in the taluk, and some other thefts mainly involving burgling of mobile phones electronic items valued at several lacs of rupees. The gang is thought to be involved with a large number thefts elsewhere too. Three others including the main accused are absconding and search for them is on.
A gang of four has been arrested, and they are said to be members of a notorious gang of thieves based in Rajasthan. The four arrested are Manikchand (38), Sunil Sen alias Bablu (18), Prakash (24), and Giridharlal (21). Prime accused Naturam, Bada Dinesh and Chota Dinesh are absconding.
It is said that after stealing things running into several lacs of rupees, this gang had shifted base to Bengaluru and was camping there.
It is said that the gang had committed thefts at several places in Udupi, Karkala and Kundapur over the last one month. The gang had stolen a Bolero vehicle, and used a fake Rajasthani number plate for it. They moved around in this stolen vehicle during the day to identify places suitable for thefts, and committed thefts during late nights. The thieves also used an Eicher vehicle for transporting stolen goods. It is said that this vehicle had also been used for carrying things stolen from Amba Electronics at Hemmady.
The police recovered stolen items worth Rs 16 lac from the accused, apart from stolen vehicles worth Rs 7.90 lac and a pistol worth Rs 1 lac along with five bullets.
The stolen items included 208 mobile phones worth Rs 13.5 lac, electronic items worth Rs 2.5 lac, an Eicher lorry worth Rs 3.5 lac, a Bolero worth Rs 4 lac, and a Pulsar bike worth Rs 40,000. The accused had pasted 'press' stickers on the front and rear ends of the Pulsar bike.
It is now gathered that the thieves, as usual, had broken down the closed circuit television camera fitted in front of the Vighneshwara complex at Hemmady. But they failed to see that there was a CCTV camera inside Amba Electronics shop which had captured the Eicher lorry in which they were moving in the vicinity. The police, who carefully checked the footage of this camera, began to make investigations based on the name, number and other details culled out on the basis of dim images they found from the said camera. They also found that the vehicle had a radium sticker on it. The special investigating team searched for the vehicle in several places including Bhatkal and Hubballi, and finally seized it at toll booth on Bengaluru-Hubballi highway. However, the thieves and the looted items were not found in the vehicle.
The police, who questioned the owner of the said vehicle based in Bengaluru, came to know that a person named Manikchand had taken the vehicle on rent sometime back for Rs 50,000 a month. After carefully drawing up a plan of action and patiently and painstakingly executing it over a period lasting several days by camping at Bengaluru, the police succeeded in nabbing the gang members. Also, a police officer from Kundapur went all the way to Rajasthan and collected a lot of information about the thieves.
All the thieves along with things stolen them have been brought to the town. The gang members were produced in the court on Monday July 27.
Addressing a press meet here on Monday, additional SP Santosh Kumar said that all the arrested are notorious thieves wanted in various states. Hailing from Rajasthan, the accused had moved to Bengaluru and set up petty shops. Moreover, the prime accused Naturam is wanted by the police of Udupi, Belagavi and Hubballi, and so also the police of states like Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The accused would sell the items stolen from Karnataka in Rajasthan, and vice-versa.
The investigation was conducted under the directions of SP Annamalai and other police officers.