In a major breakthrough, Karnataka Police arrested five accused in connection with the theft of coffee beans worth Rs21.44 lakh from a goods lorry travelling from Piriya to Mangaluru.
The accused have been identified as Ashlesha Bhatt, Narayana Shettigar, Mithun Kumar, Vijay Shetty and Mohammad Ashraf. All five have been taken into custody following a detailed investigation.
Police successfully recovered all 80 stolen gunny bags, each weighing 60 kg, along with two auto-rickshaws and a goods tempo allegedly used in committing the crime.
The case was registered based on a complaint filed by Tirthesh (29), a resident of Kabaka, who owns and operates the lorry involved.
According to the complaint, on December 3, Tirthesh had loaded 320 bags of coffee beans from a curing unit in Piriya for transportation to Mangaluru. He halted at Nehru Nagar in Kabaka that night, parked the lorry on the roadside, secured it, and returned home.
The next day, he resumed the journey and reached Mangaluru port. During a routine inspection at the destination, officials discovered that the rear seal of the lorry had been tampered with. A subsequent check revealed that 80 bags of coffee beans were missing.
Following the complaint, the Puttur Town Police Station registered a case under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Through sustained investigation, police identified the accused, leading to their arrest and recovery of the stolen property.
Officials stated that further investigation is ongoing to determine whether the accused were involved in similar thefts and to uncover the full extent of the network.
