Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 5: The city crime branch (CCB) police from here have succeeded in taking into custody two persons, who have been accused of attempting robbery at knife point at K C Road branch of Kotekar Agricultural Cooperative Bank. In this case, two masked men who barged in the bank at 1 pm on June 23 this year had confined staff of the bank in a toilet and had stuffed gold ornaments weighing about 20 kg and worth Rs 5.5 crore pledged to the bank in a sac. As the staff all of a sudden launched attack with stones on them, the robbers had fled, leaving behind the ornaments they had packed into the sac.

Initially the visitors had flashed their knives and pushed the night watchman of the bank into the bank premises. They then forced the branch manager, Manohari, clerk, Sudhir Kumar Ranjan, and jewel appraiser of the bank, Ramachandra Acharya, into a toilet before locking its door from outside. Before that, they had also snatched away a cellphone from Manohari.

Boat Rama

They then directly headed for strong room from where they put together all the gold ornaments found there into their sac. They then downed the main shutters of the bank and were about to flee in a two-wheeler, when the people locked inside the toilet succeeded in breaking open the door of the toilet. Acharya opened the shutters which had not been locked from outside, and pelted a big stone at the robbers who were ready to escape in their motor bike. The stone was bang on target, and the robbers lost balance and fell down. The robbers, who turned panicky, then threw away the sac held by the pillion rider containing ornaments, before speeding away in the vehicle. Thereafter, the manager of the bank filed complaint in Ullal police station. This robbery attempt, which had happened in broad daylight at a spot where the movement of people and vehicles are considerable, had given rise to a sense of apprehension among people.

CCB police who undertook investigation, succeeded in putting together vital information on the basis of which they arrested both the robbery-attempt accused. The arrested accused have been identified as Ramachandra alias Rama (57) resident of Pilar Kurchigudde, Someshwara village in the taluk, and Mohan Kumar (47), living at Sunil Nilaya, Pandith House, Shivajinagar, post Kotekar.

During their questioning, both of them reportedly confessed to the crime. Ramachandra worked as security supervisor at Empire Mall in the city, whereas Mohan Kumar happens to be a partner in Lucky Transport Company. Both the accused were in heavy debt due to losses and were facing the pressure to repay loans raised from various sources. They reportedly said they therefore planned to rob the bank and sell ornaments towards repayment of debt.

It is learnt that Ramachandra, also known as Boat Rama, happens to be a former member of Someshwar gram panchayat and commands good respect in the area. He had lost heavily in the business of financing, and it is said that a lady gram panchayat member had attempted suicide in the past, duly naming some persons including Ramachandra as responsible for her problems. A case about this incident had been filed in Ullal police station.

Both the arrested accused and a black Bajaj Pulsar motor bike used for the crime have been handed over to Ullal police station for further action.

Blurred images of the robbers obtained from the CCTV of a neighbouring shop, and explanation provided by Ramachandra Deralakatte initially helped the police to begin their probe. They then began to check location of cellphones in the area and stumbled upon the fact that the above two accused were present at the spot at the time. They intensified investigation after finding that physical desription provided by the jewel appraiser matched with that of accused Ramachandra and that the latter owned a Pulsar motor bike matching the description.

Assistant police commissioner of CCB, Valentine D'Souza, inspector, Sunil Y Naik, police sub-inspector, Shyam Sundarand other staff were involved with this operation, which was conducted under the directions of city police commissioner, T R Suresh, and guidance of deputy commissioner of police (law and order), K Shantaraju and deputy commissioner of police (crime and traffic), Hanumantharaya.