Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Jun 25: A gang of inter-state thieves, who had perfected the art of stealing stocks of areca nut from areca marketting centres and godowns used for storing areca nut, on Tuesday June 23. The gang used to travel in car and steal areca nut from these places during nights.
The arrested thieves have been identified as Muhammed Nawaz (24) Muhammed Shaffi (35) from Katipalla, Suratkal, Vijay (35) from Kulai, Mangaluru, Habib Hassan (28), resident of Permannur, and Muhammed Azharuddin (27) from Neermarga.
The thieves already face two cases of theft in Bantwal town station, three in rural station here, and one in Vittal police station. It is said that during their questioning, the gang members confessed that they were the ones who stole eight gunny bags of areca nut weighing 65 kg each from the areca nut shop of Kamalaksha Shenoy at Baddakatte on the night of May 14 this year.
The gang used to travel around in a Maruti car after dusk, posing as tourists, and struck when opportunity to steal came their way. Their gamut of activity spread through Bantwal taluk, Panambur Mangaluru, Beltangady, Vittal, and Udupi, the policemen found during their sustained questioning.
The police personnel have succeeded in confiscating huge stock of areca nut from the thieves. The operation to nab them was led by Bantwal police circle inspector, K U Belliappa, town station house officer, Nandakumar, and others.