In a significant breakthrough in a chain theft case, Suresh alias Santosh, a 60-year-old man from Bantwal Taluk, was arrested by the Moodbidri police. The accused, who has a history of fraud and theft, allegedly deceived a 73-year-old woman, Sundari Poojary, to steal her valuable gold necklace.
The incident occurred on August 5, when Sundari Poojary was traveling by bus from Naravi to her daughter’s house in Ashwathapura. Upon arriving at the Moodbidri Bus Stand around 2:30 pm, she stopped to buy fruits when a man approached her. Posing as an acquaintance, the man convinced her to hand over her gold necklace with the promise of having a similar one made for her. Once he had the necklace, he disappeared, leaving Sundari shocked and without her precious jewellery.
After Sundari filed a complaint at the Moodbidri Police Station, investigators quickly uncovered the identity of the suspect. Suresh, who was known for committing similar crimes in multiple locations, was tracked down by the police. Following his arrest, the police recovered two stolen gold necklaces from his possession. The first necklace, weighing about 2.25 sovereigns, belonged to Sundari Poojary, and the second, weighing 1.5 sovereigns, was taken from another elderly woman in Karkala Taluk in November 2023. The total weight of the recovered jewellery is approximately 36 grams, with an estimated value of Rs2.5 lakh.
