Udupi police, in coordination with Maharashtra authorities, have successfully arrested five suspects involved in a high-value gold jewellery theft worth nearly Rs 95 lakh.
The theft occurred on the night of September 8, when Vaibhav Mohan Ghatge, a Udupi shop owner, discovered that unknown criminals had unlocked his shop using a key and stolen gold jewellery stored in a refinery machine.
The accused, tracked across state lines, were arrested in Nimgaon, Malshiras taluk, Solapur district, Maharashtra. They are identified as Shubham Tanaji Sathe (25), Praveen Appa Sathe (23), Nilesh Bapu Kasturi (19), Sagar Dattatreya Kandagale (32), and Bagav Rohit Shrimant (25), all residents of Solapur.
During the operation, police recovered assets valued at Rs 87.4 lakh, including 748.8 grams of gold (approx. Rs 74.8 lakh), 4.4 kg of silver (approx. Rs 3.6 lakh), Rs 5 lakh cash, and the car used in the crime.
The Udupi SP, Hariram Shankar, said the successful operation was carried out by a special team led by Udupi Town police inspector Manjunath V. Badiger, with the assistance of officers from Akluj police station, Maharashtra.
A case has been registered under Sections 331(4), 331(3), and 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and further investigation is ongoing to trace any wider network linked to the gang.
