Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (JD)

Udupi, Aug 13: The Udupi Town police have arrested two suspects in connection with the theft of copper pipes and fittings worth lakhs from the under-construction Government Hospital building at Ajjarkad.

According to police, copper pipes, fittings, and old copper strips kept in a storeroom for oxygen pipeline installation went missing. CCTV footage from the hospital revealed that on July 20, 2025, a man identified as Liyaqat and another accomplice loaded the materials—valued at around Rs 8 lac — into a car and drove away. A case was registered at the Udupi Town police station following a complaint.

Acting on a tip-off, a special police team led by Udupi Town police inspector Manjunath V Badiger arrested the accused on August 12, in Shivamogga city. The arrested have been identified as Mohammad Javeed (29) resident of Vidyanagar, Bengaluru and  Syed Dada Peer alias Liyaqat (28),  resident of Park Moholla, Shira town, Tumakuru district.

Police recovered stolen copper pipe pieces worth Rs 2,81,000, along with a Maruti Swift Dzire car and an Excel moped used in the crime. The total value of recovered property is estimated at Rs 6,31,500.

The operation was conducted under the direction of Udupi district superintendent of police Hariram Shankar, and guidance from additional SP Sudhakar Naik and DySP D T Prabhu.

The arrest and recovery were carried out by inspector Manjunath V Badiger with support from PSIs Eeranna Shiragumpi, Bharatesh Kankanawadi, and Narayana B Gopalakrishna, along with staff members Prasanna C, Santosh Shetty, Anand, Santosh Rathod, Shivu Kumar, Hemant Kumar, and technical team members Dinesh and Nithin Kumar.