A 69-year-old man, who was arrested earlier in 2022 in Mangaluru for being a part of a infamous gang that was planning to rob a jewelry retailer, has been arrested once more by the Mangaluru police after being recognized as a key participant within the sensational 18.5 kg gold heist (price ₹ 12 crore) at a co-operative financial institution in Kotekar in Mangaluru on January 17.
The Mangaluru police on Tuesday declared the arrest of Bhaskar Belchapada, 69, and recognized him as a key native conduit for the planning and execution of the 18.5 kg gold theft on the Vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangha Financial institution at Kotekar.
A 65-year-old resident of Mangaluru, Mohammed Nazir alias Hameed, who’s an affiliate of Belchapada, has additionally been arrested by the police for allegedly offering native help for the execution of the theft by an expert gang from Mumbai on January 17.
The Mangaluru police earlier arrested three of six key members of the skilled gang who executed the theft – Murugandi Thevar, 36, Yosuva Rajendran, 35, and Kannan Mani, 35 – from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. The arrests of the trio have been carried out inside three days of the theft and led to the restoration of the complete 18.5 kg of stolen jewelry.
Following the arrest of the three of the six males concerned straight with the theft, the Mangaluru police had acknowledged that they have been searching for a senior citizen recognized by the arrested males as a neighborhood going by the title of Shashi Thevar for planning the theft.
The Mangaluru police on Tuesday recognized the person utilizing the title Shashi Thevar as Bhaskar Belchapada, 69, a Dakshina Kannada origin man who has a historical past of crime in Mangaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai and is a resident of Gujarat.
In 2022, Belchapada had been arrested within the Ullal police limits – the place the January 17 theft additionally occurred – together with seven others for planning a theft at a neighborhood jewelry retailer which was detected by the Mangaluru crime department police following the theft of two bikes in Mangaluru. Belchapada and the opposite arrested have been recognized as being a part of the “Sahibganj gang” by the Mangaluru police in 2022.
Story continues beneath this advert
In response to the Mangaluru police commissioner Anupam Agarwal, the Kotekar financial institution theft was executed by a gang {of professional}, armed financial institution and jewelry robbers who met on the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai after being arrested for earlier crimes in Mumbai.
“There are over 30 members who’ve been concerned in crimes in several mixtures they usually kind groups for robberies based on the circumstances,” the Mangaluru police commissioner Anupam Agarwal mentioned.
In 2022, aside from Bhaskar Belchapada the Mangaluru police had arrested Dinesh Rawal, 38, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Bistha Roop Singh, 34, Krishna Bahadur Bogati, 41, and Imdadul Razak Sheikh, 27 who’re linked to robberies of banks and jewelry shops in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Punjab.
The Kotekar financial institution theft was executed by a mixture of Belchapada’s gang and the gang of Murugandi Thevar from Mumbai – who’re accused in a 2016 heist of 20 kg of gold valued at over ₹ 6 crore on the Standard Finance Firm in Navi Mumbai, police sources mentioned.
Story continues beneath this advert
Actually, on January 15, two days earlier than he was concerned within the January 17, 2025 theft on the Kotekar department of the Vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangha in Mangaluru, Murugandi Thevar – who has been recognized by the Mangaluru police because the kingpin of the theft, put in an look in a Mumbai courtroom in reference to the 2016 theft case, authorized data point out.
Thevar is alleged to have pushed 900 km from Mumbai to Mangaluru to execute the January 17 theft alongside together with his very long time affiliate Yosuva Rajendran – a lacking accused from the 2016 theft on the Standard Finance Firm in Navi Mumbai, and Kannan Mani.
Three others are alleged to have additionally been straight concerned within the theft. The Mangaluru police commissioner has indicated the involvement of a complete of eight individuals within the theft.
The route of the automotive pushed by Thevar and pictures of the automotive and its driver captured at toll plazas through the 900 km journey to Mangaluru and its subsequent exit from Mangaluru performed a big function within the cracking of the case together with intelligence sharing and technical evaluation, sources mentioned.
Story continues beneath this advert
“We have been capable of get better the automotive used for the crime – the Fiat automotive. It has a Maharashtra registration. The principle accused Murugandi drove the automotive from Mumbai to Mangalore and he drove the automotive again to Tirunelveli,” Mangaluru police commissioner Anupam Agrawal mentioned on January 20 after the arrest of Murugandi, Yosuva and Kannan Mani.
“On this case a Mumbai primarily based gang has been discovered to be concerned. Three individuals who’re natives of Tamil Nadu and dwelling in Mumbai have been arrested. They’ve include a few of their associates and dedicated the theft. After the theft they escaped to Tamil Nadu by way of Kerala,” the Mangaluru police commissioner mentioned.
The Mangaluru police have additionally arrested M Shanmugha Sundaram, 65, the daddy of Murugundi Thevar for sheltering the accused and the stolen jewelry in his home.
Aside from the Standard Finance Firm theft of August 2016 – the place he was additionally allegedly the driving force of the getaway automotive, Murugandi Thevar was additionally accused in a 2013 armed theft case the place Rs 30 lakh was allegedly stolen from the accountant of an funding firm. He was acquitted on this case in June 2016.
Story continues beneath this advert
Within the Mangaluru case of January 17, 2025 , a gang of six armed and masked individuals arrived on the Kotekar financial institution at round 1 PM on January 17 and took away 18.5 kg of gold and a small amount of money – all valued within the vary of Rs 12 crore.
Not like the Navi Mumbai case the place police managed to get better solely round 2 kg of the stolen gold after the 12 arrests that have been unfold over 5 years, the swift investigation of the Karnataka police of the Mangaluru heist led to the restoration of the complete stolen gold.
