News & Pics: Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)

Bantwal, May 8: Vitla station police on Monday, May 8 arrested two persons in connection with arecanuts and cashews theft at Kambalabettu, Vitla.

Six quintals of arecanuts, three quintal of cashewnuts, one Maruthi Ritz car, an Omni and two auto-rickshaws were seized from them. The accused were reportedly involved in stealing for the last three years. The value of seized items is said to be nearly Rs 12.5 lacs.

The arrested have been identified as Anwar Ali (36), resident of Taregudde, Chickamudnooru gram, Puttur and Irfan (19) residing near Salmara, Mountian View School.

The team led by Vitla police station sub-inspector who was on vehicle inspection near Kambalabettu stopped the vehicle laden with arecanuts and was suspiciously driven. Those in the vehicle did not have either the vehicle records or documents to prove that the arecanuts were bought from farmers.

Questioning at the police station revealed that they have been stealing the produce at Vitla police station limits for the last three years.

The accused were involved in thefts of arecanuts and cashewnuts at Kepu, Kodapadavu, Neralakatte, Surya two months ago and Rs 20 lacs worth areca at Soorikumeri, Mani, Budoli in 2015. They are also accused of poisoning pets at Kudthamugeru in Vitlapadnooru in 2016 and decamping with Rs 16 lacs worth areca stored there.

Vitla police sub inspector Nagaraj H, staff Jayakumar, Balakrishna, Sridhar, Uday, Pravin Rai, Rakshit Rai, Ramesh, Pravin Kumar, Lokesh, Sathish, driver Raghuram, district computer department’s Manjunath and Diwaker succeeded in solving the case.