3 days after Rs 10 crore bank heist, Mangaluru police arrest 3 gang members in Tamil Nadu

A pack of six men entered the Kotekar Agricultural Cooperative Bank’s subdivision connected KC Road successful Kotekar adjacent Ullal successful Mangaluru metropolis connected January 17 astir noon, threatened the staff, and looted the bank.

It was the 2nd large bank-linked robbery successful Karnataka successful 2 days and happened portion Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was successful Mangaluru. The Karnataka main curate called a gathering of the Mangaluru constabulary apical brass and demanded speedy enactment to ace the case.

“In this case, a Mumbai-based pack has been recovered to beryllium involved. Three persons who are natives of Tamil Nadu and surviving successful Mumbai person been arrested. They person travel with immoderate of their associates and committed the robbery. After the robbery, they escaped to Tamil Nadu via Kerala,” Anupam Agarwal, Police Commissioner, Mangaluru, said Monday.

The arrested men person been identified arsenic Murugandi Thevar, 36, the alleged mastermind, Manivannan, 36, and Joshua Rajendran alias Prakash, 35.

“Our teams went to Mumbai and aft collecting accusation went to Tirunelveli successful Tamil Nadu. Using technological and quality quality we were capable to constrictive down to 2 offenders who were the kingpins of the gang.

“Among the 2 main persons, 1 is Murugandi Thevar, a autochthonal of Tirunelveli. From the interrogation done truthful far, we person learned that helium was the mastermind down the crime. He was assisted by a adjacent subordinate Manivannan and a 3rd idiosyncratic with them was Prakash alias Joshua. We arrested them from 3 antithetic places successful Tirunelveli,” the Mangaluru constabulary commissioner said.

“With the constricted interrogation, we were capable to retrieve the car utilized for the transgression – the Fiat car. It has a Maharashtra registration (a fake Karnataka registration was utilized connected the car to perpetrate the crime). Main accused Murugandi drove the car from Mumbai to Mangaluru and helium drove the car backmost to Tirunelveli,” helium added.

A limb utilized successful the transgression and 2 gunny sacks containing the stolen golden person been recovered, the constabulary said.

The constabulary are investigating whether the pack had wrong accusation from the slope since the robbery was committed erstwhile the CCTV strategy successful the slope was nether repair with a technician contiguous astatine the slope erstwhile the robbery occurred.

“On the archetypal day, we did not person information. We utilized exertion and got immoderate clues. Using contacts successful different states we were capable to constrictive down the suspects. After elaborate interrogation we volition beryllium capable to uncover their engagement successful different crimes,” the Mangaluru constabulary commissioner said.

“We consciousness that it would person been hard to transportation retired the transgression successful specified a less-known slope without section help. We are looking astatine this angle,” helium added.

There were 3 women employees and 1 antheral worker astatine the Kotekar Cooperative Bank – on with the CCTV technician – erstwhile the equipped robbery occurred connected January 17. The suspects were seen fleeing successful a achromatic Fiat car with a Bengaluru registration aft the robbery.

Analysis of CCTV footage from toll plazas aft the robbery showed the car crossing the Talapady toll booth to determination into Kerala with lone a operator successful the car.

The car’s registration was recovered to beryllium fake. The different members of the pack were detected to person travelled successful a 2nd car that was besides recovered moving adjacent the transgression country connected CCTV cameras.

The probe has revealed that the pack members were progressive successful robberies successful the past and were surviving successful Mumbai for a while.

“In the past 3 days, our constabulary person enactment successful a batch of hard enactment and detected the case. It was a unsighted lawsuit due to the fact that determination were nary CCTV cameras erstwhile the robbers entered the bank. There was a ample magnitude progressive and the information was called into question,” Agarwal said.