Police on Monday announced the arrest of four individuals involved in a major arecanut theft reported in Byndoor taluk, Udupi district. The accused were identified as:
Santosh (35) from Nooji Baltila village, Kadaba taluk
Shanoor Babulal Nawaz, alias Nawaz, alias Ghajni (31), originally from Kalghatgi taluk, Dharwad, now residing in Bhatkal
Khwaja alias Mohammad Khwaja (26) from Bhatkal
Mohammad Sadiq alias Sadiq (27) also from Bhatkal
According to Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar, the arrests were made as part of a special investigation. A total of 455 kg of stolen arecanut and a vehicle used in the crime were recovered from the accused.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Masood Patel, a plantation owner in Hadinagadde, Yadtare village, Byndoor taluk. Patel, who owns nearly 60 acres of farmland cultivating arecanut, coconut, jackfruit, and other crops, had stored 200 bags of sun-dried arecanut in a godown on his plantation. When he visited the site on May 22, he discovered the lock broken and the entire stock stolen.
The theft is believed to have occurred between May 15 and May 22, with the stolen goods valued at approximately Rs 5.6 lakh. A case was registered under Sections 331(3), 331(4), and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Byndoor Police Station.
A special investigation team was formed under the guidance of SP Hariram Shankar, Additional SP Sudhakar Naik, and DySP H.D. Kulkarni. The operation was led on the ground by Byndoor Circle Inspector Saviithra Tej and two investigation teams including PSIs Timmesh B.N., Naveen Borakar (Byndoor), and Vinay (Kollur), along with other police personnel.
Efforts are ongoing to identify any additional accomplices and trace the remaining stolen arecanut.
