Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Oct 30: The Udupi district crime intelligence bureau (DCIB) has arrested three notorious inter-state thieves and recovered items worth Rs 28 lac.
Addressing a press meet here on Friday October 30, Udupi SP Annamalai said that the DCIB police led by inspector T R Jayashankar arrested Narasimharaju (37) of Doddaballapur, and Mohammed Shabeer (20) and Firoz Pasha of Sira, Tumakuru on Thursday October 29.
The police seized 553 grams of gold, 20 kg of silver, two bikes, one Tata Sumo, seven mobile phones, Rs 20,650 in cash and other items, altogether worth Rs 28,01,370, Annamalai said.
The accused were involved in theft of gold ornaments worth Rs 4.75 lac from Hiriadka Mahalasanarayana Temple and gold ornaments from Durgaparameshwari Temple, Belman. They were also involved in theft of Rs 40,000 from the offering box of Mahalingeshwara Temple, Miyar and theft of gold, silver, Rs 40,000 and CCTV cameras from Adapady Durgaparameshwari Temple in Palli, Karkala, Rs 15,000 from offering box at Mahalingeshwara Temple, Pilar, Shirva, and thefts in three places in Tumakuru and Chikkaballapur districts.
Two of their accomplices, identified as Chand Pasha and Rehman Shira are absconding, the SP said.
Explaining their modus operandi, the SP said that the thieves used to watch TV programmes on temples and get to know about them. They would then visit the temple, act like devotees and hatch a plan to steal. They had 250 keys and 600 locks with them, he said.
With this, out of 16 temple thefts in Udupi district, the police have solved 8 and the remaining are under investigation, Annamalai said.
Additional SP Santhosh Kumar was present in the press meet.
Police personnel Rosario D'Souza, Ravichandra, Ramu Hegde, Chandra Shetty, Santosh Kundar, Suresh Kundar, Raghavendra Uppunda, Praveen, Shivanand Poojary, Dayanand Prabhu, Raj Kumar Byndoor, SP office personnel Shivanand, Nitin, Dinesh and drivers Naveenchandra, Raghavendra took part in this operation, led by DCIB inspector T R Jayashankar.