Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Oct 14: Three persons who came in an autorickshaw reportedly assaulted the driver and cleaner of a truck who were deep asleep on Wednesday night. They tried to rob the persons and angered at the fact that they could not lay their hands on valuables, tried to torch the truck by setting the tarpaulin of the truck on fire. A complaint containing these allegations was filed in Uppinangady police station on the evening of Thursday, October 13.

Drivers of three trucks belonging to a logistics firm from Mangaluru had parked their trucks by the side of the highway at Uppinangady on Wednesday night and were sleeping inside. At around 1 am, three persons arrived in an autorickshaw, attacked the driver and cleaner of one of the vehicles, and searched their pockets for valuables. Angry at the fact that they could not get access to any valuables, they set the tarpaulin of the vehicle on fire. The staff of other trucks nearby rushed to the spot and doused the fire; it is reported.

Uppinangady police were informed about the registration number of the vehicle and the writing on its back. Uppinangady police sub-inspector, Thimmappa, led a team which soon found the accused to be residents of Nekkilady village. Although the guilty were identified, police officers failed to take the concerned into custody. After a social activist had brought this to the notice of the district superintendent of police (SP), local police took the three-wheeler and accused into custody. They also received a complaint filed by the driver of the truck, Tirupathi.

In the recent past, SP, Bhushan Rao Borase, addressing a meeting of citizens at Uppinangady, had noted that there are complaints about highway robberies at Uppinangady but observed that no written complaints are being filed with the police. Locals have suspected in the light of delayed arrests that the accused have been using political influence to escape from clutches of law.