Mangaluru: Surathkal Police have filed an FIR against several people including police officer Dinakar Shetty and Hindutva leader Satish Munchuru in relation to a recent theft of cash and gold from the Dhoomavathi Temple at Padre.

The FIR has named Shetty, Munchuru, Babu Bhandary, Lokayya Shetty, Yogish Konkanabail, Apeksha Shetty, Raviraj Suvarna, Ramanath Amin, Lathish Shetty, Mukesh Shetty, Swapna, Sunil and Rajesh as the suspects, under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 303, 314, 315, 316, 318, 319 and 336 Crime No 94/2025.

Padmanabha Shetty, vice-president of the administration board of Jumadi Daivasthana in Padre, Surathkal, had filed a complaint with the civil court that the suspects had broken into the temple and stolen the cash, gold and silver donated by devotees. Currently, as directed by the court, Surathkal Police have filed the FIR against the suspects.

The administration board of the ancient Daivasthana has reportedly placed the donations from devotees in a bank locker. The money and jewelry was got to the temple during this year’s festival in March, but the suspects are accused of taking possession of the wealth instead of putting it back in the locker.

Also, since the filing of the complaint with the civil court, the Daivasthana board had been directed not to change the members. In spite of this, Dinakar Shetty has been accused of declaring that he was the new president of the board. In addition, Munchuru, who is not associated with either the town or the Daivasthana, has been involved in the theft, the complainant has said.

The suspects are estimated to have stolen approximately Rs 8 lakh of cash and 15 pawns of gold, according to the FIR.

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Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MLA Dr Chandru Lamani, caught allegedly accepting a Rs 5 lakh bribe from a contractor, has been remanded to judicial custody until March 3.

The Shirahatti MLA, a doctor, was brought from Gadag to Bengaluru on Saturday night and produced before a Special Court for Public Representatives, sources said.

The court remanded him to custody until March 3.

The MLA was caught in a Lokayukta trap following a complaint by Vijay Pujar, a Class-1 contractor from Chinchali in Gadag district.

Lokayukta officials said the alleged bribe was linked to Minor Irrigation Department works, including the construction of retaining walls along a road. The accused had demanded Rs 11 lakh from the complainant to execute the project, and Rs 5 lakh was accepted during the trap.

Along with Lamani, his personal assistants, Manjunath Valmiki and Guru Naik, were also arrested in connection with the case.