Byndoor: Four arrested in ₹5.6 lakh arecanut theft case from plantation godown

Byndoor: Four arrested in ₹5.6 lakh arecanut theft case from plantation godown

Mangalore Today News Network

Byndoor, July 22, 2025: In a significant breakthrough, police have arrested four individuals in connection with the theft of arecanut worth approximately ₹5.6 lakh from the Royal Plantation godown located in Hadavingadde, Shiruru, within the Byndoor police station limits.

The arrested have been identified as Santosh (35) from Nujibaltila in Kadaba taluk; Shanur Babulal Nawaz Ghazni (31) from Hindinagere in Dharwad district’s Kalghatgi taluk, currently residing in Bhatkal; and Bhatkal residents Khwaja Mohammad (26) and Mohammad Sadiq (27).

During the operation, police recovered 455 kg of stolen arecanut along with the car used to transport the goods.

The plantation, owned by Masood Patel Bhatkal, spans 60 acres in Hadinagadde, Yadtare village. Nearly 200 sacks of dried, husked arecanut were stored in plastic bags inside the godown. On the morning of May 22, Masood discovered the iron grill lock of the godown broken and all 200 sacks missing.

In light of a string of similar thefts reported in the Byndoor region, a special investigation was launched under the guidance of Udupi district SP Hariram Shankar. The probe was supervised by Kundapur ASP Sudhakar Naik, DySP H D Kulkarni, and Byndoor Circle Inspector Savithra Tej, with two special teams formed to trace the culprits.

The teams were led by PSIs Timmesh B N, Naveen Borakar, and Vinay, and comprised personnel including Nagendra, Suresh, Chidanand, Malappa Desai, Parayya Mathapathi, Ravindra, Ashok, and Chandra.