Puttur: Kerala man arrested in temple donation box theft case, bike seized

Mangalore Today News Network

Puttur, September 5, 2026: Puttur Rural Police have cracked a temple donation box theft case and arrested a 31-year-old inter-state thief from Kasaragod, Kerala.

The accused has been identified as Satish, a resident of Kasaragod.

According to a complaint filed by Vinod Kumar B (44), a resident of Bettampady and an office-bearer of the temple administration, the donation box kept outside the Sri Mahalingeshwara Temple in Bettampady was found missing when he visited the temple on the morning of August 25, 2026. A search of the surrounding area failed to locate it.

The temple authorities later checked CCTV footage and found that an unidentified person had allegedly picked up the donation box and fled from the spot on the night of August 24.

The donation box was suspected to contain around Rs 4,500 in cash, while the value of the box itself was estimated at Rs 2,500.

Based on the complaint, Puttur Rural Police registered Crime No. 110/2026 under Section 305(e) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation.

As part of the investigation, a police team followed various leads and conducted inquiries at Kinnigar, Badiyadka and Adhur in Kerala. Their efforts led to the arrest of Satish in Badiyadka. Police said he was allegedly involved in inter-state theft cases.

The stolen donation box was recovered from Satish, along with the motorcycle allegedly used to commit the theft. The bike is estimated to be worth around Rs 1 lakh.

Satish was produced before a competent court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Police said a case relating to arecanut theft had already been registered against him at Badiyadka Police Station.

The operation was carried out under the direction of Puttur Sub-Divisional Deputy Superintendent of Police Pramod Kumar and the guidance of Timmapppa Naik, Inspector in-charge of Puttur Rural Police Station.

The operation was led by PSIs Guna P and Sushma G Bhandari of Puttur Rural Police Station. Head Constables Ramesh and Nagaraj, Constables Manjunath, Akash and Karthik, crime wing personnel Sharanappa Patil and Eranna, and Home Guard Hariprasad participated in the operation.

CDR section personnel Sampath and Divakar from Dakshina Kannada district also assisted the police team during the operation.