Mangaluru bank loot case: Three nabbed from different parts of Tamil Nadu

Mangaluru, Jan 20 Karnataka Police have apprehended three dacoits in connection with the robbery at the K.C. Road branch of the Kotekar Agricultural Cooperative Bank near Ullal in Mangaluru, police sources confirmed on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Murugundi Devar, Prakash alias Joshwa, and Manivannan.

Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal stated that the accused were arrested from various locations across Tamil Nadu. The police have also seized two pistols and swords. The accused are residents of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu and have been living in the Dharavi area of Mumbai.

The incident took place on January 17, when an armed gang of five dacoits looted more than Rs 12 crore worth of gold after threatening the bank staff with guns, swords, and knives in the Mangaluru district of Karnataka.

The accused used a car registered in Maharashtra for the crime. After committing the crime, they fled to Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu via Kerala.

“This crime would not have been possible without the involvement of local elements. We suspect collusion and are interrogating the arrested suspects,” Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attending an event in Mangaluru city had held an emergency meeting with senior police officers and ordered urgent action to nab the dacoits.

According to the police, the dacoits barged into the K.C. Road branch of the Kotekar Agricultural Cooperative Bank in Mangaluru in a car, threatening the staff with guns, swords, and knives. They made off with gold articles worth over Rs 12 crore and Rs 5 lakh in cash.

The gang filled gold and cash into four to five bags before disappearing.

Following the preliminary investigation, the police suspected the involvement of insiders. The bank’s CCTV cameras had been sent for repair the day the crime occurred, which had raised suspicions.

In light of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visit to Mangaluru, the police department was busy making security arrangements. The bank is located in a region with a large population from the minority community, and the road was empty as many had gone to offer prayers. The police believe the dacoits studied the situation and planned the robbery accordingly.

The police department formed eight teams under the leadership of ACP Dhanya Nayak to crack the case. Two suspected persons were earlier grilled in the case.

The same Mangaluru bank was robbed in 2017. The police teams had gone to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and Goa.

The latest incident raised concerns, coming just a day after two robbers shot dead an ATM cash vehicle staffer and looted Rs 93 lakh in cash in Bidar city of the state.

On October 28, 2024, the robbers broke open a window of the building of the State Bank of India (SBI) and looted Rs 12.95 crore worth of gold jewellery in Nyamati town of Davangere district. The gang had also taken away the DVR and CCTV installed in the bank. The police are suspecting the involvement of the same gang behind these incidents.