Daijiworld Media Network - Brahmavar (SP)
Brahmavar, Apr 9: A four-member gang which was posing as office bearers of All Karnataka Land, Water, Environment Conservation Forum, posed like officials, stopped lorries carrying boulders and fleeced the drivers and owners in the name of checking, stand arrested. The lorry owners handed over the gang members to Kota police station on Monday April 8.
The members of the gang who stand arrested have been identified as Shreelatha Shetty (48) from Laxmindra Nagar, Udupi, her husband, Uday Kumar Shetty (49), Nityananda Shetty from Kakkunje Udupi, and Guruprasad /shetty (49), resident of Santhekatte.
Sheelatha Shetty, who arrived in a car, introduced herself as the state president of the said forum, and her husband Uday Kumar Shetty as its secretary. She claimed Nityananda as the forum's district president. The gang had stopped a lorry carrying boulders driven by Upendra Nayak and sought documents like trip sheet. When these things were not produced, they threatened to seize the vehicle and hand it over to the department of mines and geology. They sought payment of Rs 5,000 to let them go. When the staff said they do not have so much money, they were asked to pay Rs 2,000, which they paid. The same gang also recovered Rs 1,500 from another lorry owner named Amrit Poojary, it is gathered.
After Upendra conveyed this information to another person, Anil Kini, over phone, Kini came to the spot along with two others, Kiran Poojary and Ganesh, questioned the gang members and then conveyed to Kota police station upon getting suspicion. The police, who came there, escorted the accused to the police station.
Several lorry owners said that the members of the gang, posing as authorized officials, used to threaten lorry owners of registering cases. A number of lorry owners and office bearers of the district lorry union assembled near the police station and urged the concerned to take strict action against the accused.
Brahmavar police circle inspector, Povayya, and Kota station sub-inspector, Rafique M, registered a case and produced the accused in the court.