Mangaluru: Bantwal Rural police arrested an accused, who was absconding for two decades, on Wednesday. The accused is Mohammad Sharif, 44, a resident of Panaje village in Puttur.
He reportedly evaded arrest for nearly 20 years by frequently changing his address across various places in Karnataka and Kerala. He was accused in a theft case that occurred on Nov 7, 2004, at the Sri Adishakti Chamundeshwari Temple in Badagabellur village of Bantwal taluk. He was arrested from Kasaragod in Kerala and remanded in judicial custody.
Police said he was recently arrested by Manjeshwar police in Kerala in connection with a murder case, but was released on bail. The operation to nab him was conducted under the guidance of Bantwal DSP Vijayaprasad, led by Bantwal Rural police inspector Shivakumar, with the assistance of PSIs Harish MR and Murthy, and team members Harishchandra and Ganesh.