The accused targeted an ATM, off National Highway 66, in Surathkal near Mangaluru in coastal Karnataka, on August 4, 2023.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Surathkal police arrested four persons, all hailing from Shikaripura taluk of Shivamogga district in Karnataka, for an attempt to steal a bank ATM using earthmover on August 4.
The accused — Devaraj alias Devu, 24, H. Bharath, 20, Nagaraj Naik, 21, and Dhanaraj Naik, 22 — are from Dodda Thanda in Begur village, Shikaripura taluk in Shivamogga district. While the first three were directly involved in the attempt, the fourth one had allegedly financed them.
The accused were arrested on August 15. On August 16, a jurisdictional court remanded the first three accused to four days’ police custody.
They had used similar modus operandi a few days earlier in Shivamogga town. On the night of July 25-26, they had used an earthmover to take away the ATM of Axis Bank at Vinoba Nagar in Shivamogga. Vinoba Nagar police had registered a case.
The accused allegedly stole an earthmover parked on Padubidri-Karkala highway at night and brought the vehicle to Surathkal, on August 3-4, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In the Surathkal case, the accused allegedly stole an earthmover parked on Padubidri-Karkala highway at night on August 3-4, and brought the vehicle to Surathkal. Around 2 a.m., they broke open the ATM enclosure of The South Indian Bank, opposite Vidyadayini English Medium School at Idya. The break-in triggered the siren, which prompted the accused to flee.
The bank manager immediately rushed to the spot and later lodged a police complaint. Police found the earthmover on Kulur-Jokatte Road on August 4 evening.
On being alerted by the siren, the bank manager rushed to the spot and also alerted the local police.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Dhanaraj and Nagaraj were accused in two theft cases registered in 2021 in Shikaripura Rural police station, according to Mangaluru Police Commissioner Kuldeep Kumar R. Jain.