Pics: Daya Kukkaje

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Sep 26: Dakshina Kannada District Crime Intelligence Bureau (DCIB) nabbed five inter-state thieves who committed serial thefts in 10 temples in a span of 6 months.

Addressing the press meet at his office here on Monday September 26,Superintendent of Police (SP) Gulabrao Bhushan Borase said "The arrested accused have been identified as Chandrakanth Poojary(36) resident of Janatha Colony, Manki from Honnavar Taluk, Basavaraju,(38) resident of Doddaballapur Taluk Bengaluru, Naveen Chandra Ban Singh(21), resident of Lokmanya Nagar, Thane, Mumbai, Vijay Suresh Bonsle (35), resident of Lokmanya Nagar Thane Mumbai, Vishal Ponke (21), resident of Lokmanya Nagar, Thane, Mumbai. All accused were arrested from Thane near Mumbai in Maharashtra.

One more accused Prakash Mandya had died in a car accident in Bengaluru when they were returning after a theft at Nooji, Ullalthi Ammanavara Temple Renjaladi Village Puttur Taluk. Police have confiscated and recovered 22 kilograms of silver and 75 grams of gold with total value of Rs 12.5 lacs. It is also discovered that stolen gold and silver articles were sold to Vishal Mumbai, who was retailer and he sold the same to others claiming that those were old silver and articles from the temples. The accused shared the amount of sold articles among them.

Dr CB Vedhamurthy, ASP Rishyanth IPS, ASP Puttur P Gaurish, , DySP finger print division, Amanulla PI of DCBI, Anil kulkarni circle inspector Puttur Rural, Abdul Khadar PSI, Rathan Kumar PSI, Sanjeev Purusha ASI, Palanivelu, Udaya Rai, Iqbal AE, Tharanath S, Lakshman, , Praveen M Belthangady, Sampath Kumar, Diwakar, Vasunaika, Vijay Gowda, and Harish Gowda, Shivarama,Karunakara and others helped in the investigation.

SP also thanked Mumbai Tulu Sangh representatives Suresh Shetty Guruvayanakere, Shekar Shetty Padangady, Rajesh Shetty Manipal and Karthik Rai who helped in the investigation.

Thefts had taken place in following temples:

Shri Panchalingeshwara Temple, Eshwaramangala, Puttur, Shri Panchalingeshwara Temple, Uruvalu village Belthangady. Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Anaru Patrame, Belthangady Village, Shri Vishnu Murthy Temple, Savanooru Village Puttur, Shri Umamaheshwari Temple, Balya village Puttur, Shri nanthapadmanabha Temple Ramakunja, Puttur Taluk. Shri Ulalthi Ammanavara Temple Nooji, Puttur, Shri Mahalingeshwara Temple, Raai Village Bantwal. Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Adyapadi Village Mangaluru. Shri Subramanya Temple Thookuru, Mangaluru.