Kotekar Cooperative Bank robbery case: Plot hatched 6 months ago; 3 visits before the robbery
Mangaluru: Mangaluru police have taken into custody the father of the accused in connection with the robbery at Kotekar Agricultural Cooperative Bank. Police have intensified the investigation after arresting three key suspects along with the stolen gold jewellery. During the investigation, it was revealed that the prime accused, Murugandi Tevar, had planned the robbery nearly six months ago, as informed by Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal.
The Police Commissioner shared the details in a press conference at his office on Monday. He mentioned that Shashi Thevar, a Mangaluru native residing in Mumbai, had identified Kotekar Bank as suitable for the robbery, citing a lack of security. Accordingly, Murugandi Thevar visited Mangaluru in August, October, and November of 2024 to survey the bank. He chose January 17 as the day for the heist. On the day of the robbery, three accused arrived by car from Mumbai, while two others arrived by train. The accused reached the location at 12:20 PM, waited for a while, and then broke into the bank around 1:10 PM before fleeing, the Commissioner explained.
During the investigation, the accused confessed that Shashi Thevar, a local resident, had assisted them in the robbery. The police are now searching for him and four other suspects, said Commissioner Anupam Agrawal.
Mangaluru Police crack state's biggest robbery case
The robbers stole 18.674 kg of gold and ₹11,67,044 on the day of the heist. Through coordinated operations with Tamil Nadu and Mumbai police, Mangaluru police recovered 18.314 kg of gold, ₹3,80,500 in cash, two pistols, three live bullets, a Fiat car, and a fake number plate. Several teams led by ACPs Dhanya and Manoj worked continuously for four days across Tamil Nadu and Mumbai, traveling over 2700 km, the Police Commissioner stated.
The arrested prime accused MurugaThevar is also linked to other major robbery cases in Mumbai, with cases filed against him in Mulund and two other police stations. Another accused, Joshua Rajendran, has cases in Mumbai and Gujarat.
Kannan Mani has a case registered against him in Mumbai, and Murugandi Thevar's father, Shanmug Sundaram, has been arrested for assisting in hiding the stolen gold in his house, as informed by the Police Commissioner.
In the press conference, DCs Siddharth Goyal, Ravishankar, and ACPs Dhanya Nayak, Manoj were present.
After the robbery, the accused Murugandi Thevar and Joshua Rajendran fled towards Kerala through Talapady Gate in a Fiat car, while the other four suspects left via Mangaluru Railway Station. Three of them traveled by auto, and one by bus. Murugandi and his team, who headed towards Mumbai, had planned to escape to Tamil Nadu from there. The plan was to sell the stolen gold in the black market in Mumbai after dividing it equally.
The police's priority was not only to arrest the suspects but also to recover the gold jewellery belonging to approximately 1600 customers that had been stored at the bank. As a result of the operation carried out by the teams, the jewellery was seized before the accused could sell it, Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal added.
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Woman duped of Rs 25 lakh in fake Canada visa scam; 1 held
Shimla (PTI): A woman has been arrested from Punjab for allegedly duping another woman of Rs 25 lakhs by promising her to arrange a visa for Canada, police said on Monday.
The accused has been identified as Manju Kumari, a resident of Punjab.
Senior Superintendent of Police SSP Shimla Gaurav Singh said that Manju had contacted the woman several months ago and had promised her to arrange a visa for Canada.
"After this, she asked for money for the same from the victim, which she transferred to her on multiple occasions. However, as time went by, Manju started to make various excuses and ignored her calls," the SSP said.
Upon suspecting being defrauded, the victim's brother registered a complaint, and a case was registered under sections 318 (4) (cheating), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 352 (2) (intentional insults designed to provoke a breach of peace) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the SSP said.
"Police teams were sent to Haryana and Punjab, but she kept evading arrest as she kept changing her locations as well as her mobile numbers. However, the police teams successfully arrested her on Sunday from a flat located in Kharar in Punjab," he said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, and the defrauded money is also being recovered, he added.
