SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Mangaluru: Mangaluru City Police have arrested three persons, including two who allegedly provided shelter and logistical support, in connection with the sensational highway robbery that took place near Baikampady on National Highway-66.
Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said the accused have been identified as Nimil RK, 37, from Kerala, Irshad ,37, from Kodagu and Mustafa,40, from Kodagu.
According to police, the robbery took place in the early hours of June 29 when Vikas Subbarao Dhanawade 44, a resident of Sangli in Maharashtra, was travelling with his family to Payyanur in Kerala in a Maruti Swift Dzire.
Around 2.45 am, a gang of six to seven masked men travelling in two Toyota Innova vehicles and a Swift intercepted the family’s car near Baikampady.
The assailants allegedly threatened the family with machetes, assaulted Vikas, and forcibly abducted his wife and son before abandoning them a few kilometres away. The gang then fled with approximately 180 grams of gold jewellery worth around Rs 20 lakh, two mobile phones worth Rs 10,000, and the victim’s Swift Dzire car valued at Rs 3 lakh. A case was registered at Panambur Police Station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Karnataka Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act.
During the investigation, police recovered the stolen Swift Dzire from a hilly area at Pacchinadka in Bantwal taluk on June 30. The accused had allegedly removed the vehicle’s registration plates before abandoning it.
Subsequent operations led to the arrest of Nimil near Aster MIMS Hospital in Chala, Kerala. Irshad was arrested in Ponnampet for allegedly sheltering the main accused, while Mustafa was taken into custody near a bus stand at Murnad Junction in Madikeri for allegedly providing a vehicle and accommodation to the gang.
Police said preliminary investigations indicate that 14 persons directly participated in the robbery, while two others assisted them by providing shelter and logistical support. The three arrested accused have been remanded to 10 days of police custody for further interrogation.
Authorities are continuing efforts to trace the remaining 13 accused. Of the four vehicles allegedly used in the crime, one Innova Crysta has been seized, while police are still searching for the remaining three vehicles, the stolen gold ornaments and the two mobile phones.
The investigation is being led by ACP Sreekanth K of Mangaluru North Division, CCB ACP Manoj Kumar Naik, Panambur Inspector Saleem Abbas and teams from multiple police stations and the City Crime Branch.
SOURCE : SIASAT
