The Mangaluru police shot at an accused in the Kotekar Cooperative Society heist after he allegedly assaulted a police constable and tried to escape in Ajjinadka, on the outskirts of Mangaluru, on Saturday, February 1. He is the second person in the case, who has been shot at.
The police gave the name of the accused as Murugandi Thevar. Murugandi and injured constable Hadapada Manjunath are admitted at a private hospital in the city.
The police had shot at another accused Kannan Mani on January 21, after he attacked two policemen and tried to escape when they had taken him for spot ‘mazhar’ to Alankar Gudde in K.C. Road
In a statement, the police said during inquiry Murugandi told them that he and Yosuva Rajendran, another arrested accused, and local associate Shashi Thevar, met in Ajjanadka in November 2024, when key details of execution of the heist were worked out. Murugandi also told police that Shashi had then brought a fire arm which he hid at a place in Ajjanadka.
A police team consisting of Ullal Police Inspector, a sub-inspector, and two police constables took Murugandi to Ajjinadka on Saturday for recovery of the firearm. Soon after reaching the spot, Murugandi assaulted Manjunath. Murugandi hit Manjunath on latter’s private part and tried to strangulate him. The Ullal Inspector first fired a warning shot in air and then fired below the knee of Murugandi.
Murugandi and constable Manjunath were out of danger and were given necessary care. A separate case will be registered regarding this incident, the police stated.
Four masked armed men robbed Kotekar Vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangh’s Talapady branch in Kotekar of 18.6 kg gold and ₹11.67 lakh on January 17. The police have so far arrested four persons and have recovered 18.31 kg gold, ₹3.8 lakh, two pistols, two machetes and a car. They are searching for four more persons including Shashi Thevar, who, the arrested persons refer as local pointsman.
Published - February 01, 2025 07:47 pm IST
