Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Jul 16: The eight people arrested by the policemen in connection with forcibly taking away a petroleum tanker from Kerekatte near Hosangady in the taluk, were produced in the local court on Wednesday July 15. They are Murdeshwar Mankala Subba Vaidya, former vice-president of Uttara Kannada zilla panchayat, who allegedly bought the stolen diesel and petrol, Satish Poojary, Prakash Poojary and Satish Shetty from Punjalakatte, Kalladka Shekhar Poojary, Manjunath Shetty from Bantwal, Prashant Bhandary from Kuppala and Mohan, a middleman from Shirur, who allegedly were involved with the crime.

A Maruti Zen car used by the robbers, eight mobile phones and Rs 2.71 lac being the cost of petrol and diesel robbed in the case were seized by the policemen from the culprits.

The gang immobilized the tanker driver and cleaner, who were sleeping in the parked tanker, by using chilli powder, gagging and tying their hands and legs. They were later thrown out of the moving car at two villages en route to Byndoor.  The diesel and petrol was sold to Vaidya, who runs a petrol bunk in Murdeshwar.

Kundapur circle inspector Chandrashekhar, Amasebail sub-inspector of police Nage Gowda, probationary sub-inspector Rangaswami and other police personnel took part in the operation. Udupi district superintendent of police Pravin Madhukar Pawar has announced a prize of Rs 10,000 to the team of policemen which took part in this successful operation.