The Karnataka police have arrested Shiva Prasad, alias Mantri Shankar, a 54-year-old habitual offender, in connection with a gold robbery case in Kalaburagi (formerly Gulbarga). Originally from Secunderabad, Telangana, Prasad was residing in Latur, Maharashtra, and was apprehended from the Ashok Nagar area of Kalaburagi after confessing to his involvement in the crime.
During interrogation, Prasad revealed he had hidden 412 grams of gold ornaments, worth around Rs30 lakh, at a relative’s residence in Aiyarwadi. The police have successfully recovered the stolen gold.
Prasad’s criminal history is staggering. With a career spanning 40 years, he has over 260 criminal cases registered against him across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. He began his life of crime at the age of 14 and admitted to being involved in at least 10 robberies in Kalaburagi district alone.
In a separate incident earlier this year, another robbery gang from Bidar, Karnataka, caused chaos in Hyderabad’s Afzalgunj area during a dramatic police shootout. The gang had pulled off a Rs93 lakh ATM cash heist, throwing chili powder at bank staff and opening fire, killing one employee and critically injuring another. They fled to Hyderabad, where they were later tracked down by the Bidar and Hyderabad police.
The authorities continue to probe Prasad’s wider network and past offences as efforts intensify to curb repeat offenders and criminal syndicates operating across state lines.
