Five involved in seven cases of looting truck drivers nabbed

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Oct 7, 2014:  Speaking to media on October 6, City Police Commissioner R Hithendra said   the arrest of five persons at Maroli Jodukatte in the City has busted a gang of highway robbers, which used to threaten truck drivers and rob them. 

The arrested are Mohammed Ajeem alias Dilwale (23) of Pudu in Bantwal, Ahammed Sadik alias Sadik (19) of Krishnapura seventh block, Nissar Hussain alias Nicchu (23) of Chokkabettu eighth block, Hasanabba alias Naushad (23) of Krishnapura and Shashidhar Y (30) of Theggarse in Kundapura.  The police have also recovered two cars, five lethal weapons, chilly powder packets, four mobile phones and cash of at least Rs 12,750.

During the interrogation, the accused confessed of involving in looting of lorry/truck drivers in three cases registered in Mangalore East Police stations, two each at Shiradi in Sakleshpura and Udane in Uppinangady police station limits.  Kadri Police station Inspector T D Nagaraj said that the gang was engaged in hiring two cars and using it in the crime. They were arrested while attempting to loot lorry drivers at Maroli in the early hours of Monday Oct 6.

“The gang was targetting lorry/truck drivers who park the vehicles beside the National Highway while driving long distance. Knowing that lorry drivers will possess money, they used to park the cars at a distance and climb the lorries and threaten the drivers to hand over the cash. If the drivers resist, then the gang would attack and wound the drivers using small weapons. In one of the case registered in Mangalore Police Commissionerate limits, we could get last three digit of the registration number of a car used in the crime. Based on the last three digits, we could get details on the owner of the car.

The owner was not aware of the motive of the gang as they would hire the car citing the reason of marriage and other functions,” he said.   “The main accused Ajeem was an underwater diver. Another accused Sadik who along with Roshan Rebello was involved in the murder of a lorry driver at Panambur in 2013. As Sadik was a juvenile then, he was released. Sadik used to chalk out a plan for looting the lorry drivers. The gang would start their operation at around 9pm by travelling on the highway. In majority of the highway theft cases, lorry drivers did not complain as they were not locals and the police cases were inconvenient to them,” the police officer stated.