Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Jul 9: Another case of dacoity has been reported within the city commissionerate limits in the early hours of Tuesday. The car that was forcefully taken by the dacoits has been found in Mulky.

A gang of four dacoits entered a house in on Kotekani Road, Derebailu village around 1:40 AM after breaking the the window grill. The house is occupied by an elderly couple Victor Mendonca and Patricia Mendonca whose children live and work overseas. The dacoits who brandished weapons entered and assaulted Victor with an iron rod, inflicted severe injuries on him and also hit his wife Patricia with a screw driver and threatened her not to talk or make phone calls. 

The house targetted by dacoits

Elderly man hospitalised after the assault

The car found abandoned at Hejmady toll gate

The gang smashed three mobile phones on the floor to prevent phone calls by the victims. Later, they broke open the cupboard locker, and took away gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 12 lacs, a Samsung mobile phone and 10 branded watches worth Rs 1 lac and cash of Rs 3000. They forcibly took the car keys from an injured Victor and then took the car parked in the verandah of the said house. They then fled towards Udupi in the stolen car. It is suspected that the dacoits parked their car before the Hejmady toll gate to avoid being tracked by the police. The value of the looted items is still unknown. A mobile phone was found inside the car, which police believe belongs to one of the dacoits and was likely left behind in their haste. The car has not yet been thoroughly inspected by the police.

Urwa police and senior officers rushed to the house where the dacoity occurred. Mulky police have tracked the stolen car and taken it into custody. Police are verifying CCTV footage from nearby houses and the highway.

Sources close to the family said the culprits were four in number and spoke in Hindi and Kannada. They took ornaments and hit the man on the knee. 

Speaking to the media, victim Patricia Mendonca, recounted the harrowing events, stating, "At around 1:40 am, four individuals entered our house after removing the grill. They searched both the downstairs and upstairs rooms without finding anything. Eventually, they entered our room where I screamed, prompting them to brutally assault both me and my husband. They demanded cash, but when we informed them we didn't have any, they continued to beat us. Despite my screams, our neighbors were unable to hear us."

"I handed over the key to the wardrobe, which they were initially unable to open. They eventually forced it open using a screwdriver," she added.

"The robbers, dressed in underwear and masks, remained in our house from 1:40 am until 4:45 am, almost three hours in total," Patricia Mendonca continued.

"They also damaged four phones, and my husband sustained severe injuries during the attack," she added.