Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (EP)

Puttur, Oct 26: A group of ten robbers tied two women in a house in Ambatemoole Padhekarya, Badagabannur village in broad daylight, on Tuesday, October 25 and they ran off with cash and jewellery worth several lac rupees.

The robbers who came in a large vehicle took away the silver ornaments of a deity, weighing about half a kilo. The value of robbed items is estimated to be Rs 2.5 lacs. The robbers, however, did not take the jewellery of a goddess, which was in another part in the house but broke open a box of jewellery and a Godrej cupboard using an iron rod.

The robbers arrived at Padhekarya at about noon and fastened plaster on the mouths of lady owner of the house and maid. They later tied their victims' hands and legs with cloth and made away with the valuables.

Vishnu Bhat, the owner of the house, a farmer by profession, was in Perla for some programme. Vishnu's son and daughter in law live in Mangaluru owing to their employment. Vishnu and his wife Savithri lived in the said house, with the maid in the house from morning till evening. The robbers had first asked about Vishnu's son and spoke in Tulu and Kannada. Some of the robbers were not masked. Two of them claimed that Vishnu’s son Krishnananda had borrowed money, when in Mangaluru. However, Savithri denied it.

It is also that two strangers had approached Vishnu Bhat two days before the incident, and suggested that he should grow Vanilla, offering to buy the produce thereof. Their involvement in the theft, though, is ambiguous. There is also a suspicion of the locals' involvement in the crime.

There is no house in proximity of the said house.

A dog squad was called to the place for investigation. Dakshina Kannada superintendent of police Bhushan G Borase, additional superintendent of police Vedamurthy, Puttur assistant superintendent of police C B Rishyanth, circle inspector Anil Kulkarni, Puttur rural Sub-inspector of police Abdul Khader arrived and conducted the investigations.