Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)
Puttur, Mar 31: In a nine-year-old case, the fifth additional district and sessions court here has held an accused guilty of the charges framed against him. The accused, identified as Masood from K R Pura in Chikkamagaluru district, had been charged with approaching a doctor's house in the guise of patient seeking treatment, threatening the doctor and his wife during the time of check up with swords, and robbing cash and gold from the couple's house.
Dr Shivashankar Shastry from Nelyady in the taluk was taking bath on July 27, 2006, when his wife, Vasanti S, informed that two patients had come there to get treated by him. The 'patient' was accompanied by two others. When the fake patient was asked to lie down on table and the doctor was checking his body functions, he suddenly drew out a sword and threatened the couple. His two accomplices also flashed knives, and threatened the doctor and his wife to part with their belongings.
After tying up the doctor and his wife inside a room of the house, the gang had taken away gold ornaments worth Rs 2.13 lac as per the value prevailing then, apart from Rs 22,000 in cash from a cupboard and a LPG cylinder. The couple had later succeeded in freeing themselves, and complaining to Uppinangady police with the support of neighbours.
The rural police circle inspector K Manjunath Rai, had investigated the case. The accused, Masood alias Masoor, Muhammed Bawa, Abbas, Dileep, Eshwar and Sayyed Zainuddin from K R Pura, Chikmagalur district, had been arrested and gold, cash, and LPG cylinder had been recovered from their possession. All the accused except Masood had thereafter secured bail from the court.
As Masood remained absent from court hearings without permission, warrant had been issued for his arrest. The policemen had arrested him on the basis of this warrant. They were taking him to the district sub-jail at Mangaluru on May 23, 2012, when Masood had fled from the policemen at Kabaka. He was re-arrested in May 2014.
Judge of the court, M Ramachandra, said that quantum of sentence will be pronounced on April 4.