Karkala: Sandalwood theft case cracked; 3 arrested

Karkala: Sandalwood theft case cracked; 3 arrested

Mangalore Today News Network

Karkala, Aug 7, 2025: Karkala Rural Police have cracked a major sandalwood theft case with the arrest of three accused and recovery of stolen logs worth ₹4 lakh.

The theft occurred on the night of June 16 at the plantation of Dinesh Shettigar in Nitte village. A total of nine sandalwood trees were stolen, and a case was registered at the Karkala Rural Police Station.

The investigation, led by PSI Prasanna M S (law and order and traffic division) and PSI Sundar (investigation division), resulted in the arrest of: Ganesh (44) – Resident near Nehru Durga High School, Ayyappa Nagar, Kukkundoor, Karkala taluk, Santosh (35) – Resident of Marne village, Karkala taluk, Moyudeen alias Moyidu Kunj (60) – Resident of Ira village, Bantwal taluk.

The stolen sandalwood logs were recovered from the trio. During interrogation, they admitted to involvement in similar thefts under Shirva Police Station limits. All three have been produced before the court.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Udupi SP Hariram Shankar and supervision of ASP Dr Harsha Priyamvada, with Karkala Circle Inspector Manjappa D R overseeing the action on ground.

The police team included PSIs Prasanna M S and Sundar, ASIs Prakash and Sundar Gowda, and constables Rudresh, Chandrashekhar, Sumitra, Mahantesh, Somashekara S G, Ravindra, Anand, and Shashikala.