Udupi: Three women arrested within 24 hours for Rs 80,000 theft at Kollur Temple

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, July 7, 2026: The Kollur Police have solved a theft case within 24 hours by arresting three women accused of stealing ₹80,000 in cash from a devotee’s vanity bag at the premises of the Kollur Mookambika Temple.

The accused have been identified as Nethravathi (33), Sharada (50), and Durgamma (44), all residents of Bhadravathi in Shivamogga district.

According to the police, on July 5, Nimisha and her husband Prajosh had visited the temple to offer prayers to Goddess Mookambika. At around 8.20 a.m., after coming out of the temple premises, Nimisha noticed that the zip of her brown vanity bag had been opened. On checking the bag, she found that her purse containing ₹80,000 in cash was missing.

After searching the temple surroundings without success, Nimisha lodged a complaint at the Kollur Police Station. Based on the complaint, a case was registered and an investigation was launched.

Using CCTV footage, photographs captured by members of the public at the scene, and other technical evidence, the police identified the suspects. All three women were arrested within 24 hours of the case being registered and were produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody.

Police said Durgamma is already facing two theft cases—one registered at the Lashkar Police Station in Mysuru and another at the Old Town Police Station in Bhadravathi. Sharada has three previous theft cases against her, including two registered by the Bengaluru City Railway Police and one at Ashokapuram Police Station in Mysuru.