Kadaba: Accused in serial theft cases surrenders after five years on the run

Mangalore Today News Network

Kadaba, Nov 2, 2026: A man accused in four theft cases registered at the Kadaba police station in 2016, who had been absconding for nearly five years, has surrendered before the court.

The accused has been identified as Vishal Ponke (30), a native of Maharashtra.

The other accused in the cases – Narasimha alias Raju of Doddaballapura, Vijay Suresh Ponke of Maharashtra, Naveen Chandra Singh, Chandrakant Poojary of Uttara Kannada and Prakash Bahadur of Mandya – had earlier been sentenced to two years of imprisonment by the ACJ and JMFC Court in Puttur.

However, Vishal Ponke had remained absconding and failed to appear before the court for five years. Despite police efforts to trace him, he could not be located. Subsequently, the court issued a proclamation against him.

On October 30, Ponke surrendered before the 2nd ACJ and JMFC Court (Mobile Court, Kadaba) in Puttur. He was later remanded to judicial custody.