Mangaluru (The Hindu): The Mangaluru City Police claimed to have cracked the October 4 dacoity at the residence of Vasudeva Asranna, hereditary Moktesar, Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple, by arresting five persons.

The plan was allegedly hatched by H.K. Sudheendra Rao alias Sudheendra alias Susheendra Rao (33), son of H.K. Haridasa Rao, a resident of Bejai Kapikad in Mangaluru, with the active assistance of Suresh Kumar (40), an employee of the Kateel Temple. Suresh Kumar has been working with the temple for 14 years in different capacities. A resident of Subbamahal in Punacha village in Bantwal taluk, he allegedly gave information about Mr. Asranna’s house and the valuables.

City Police Commissioner M. Chandra Sekhar told presspersons here that Chidanand (33), a resident of Thenka Yekkar; Suraj Kumar (35), a resident of Model Farm, Yekkar; and Sadashiva Shetty (49), a resident of Yekkar, who is also the driver of the prime accused Rao, were the other accused arrested. All the five planned the crime and executed it with the help of another six persons.

Mr. Sekhar said that the police recovered Rs. 4.25 lakh in cash, said to be the sales proceeds from the robbed jewellery; a gold pendent containing Durgaparameshwari’s picture; five mobile phones; and the car used to commit the offence. The police are in the process of recovering the stolen valuables that have been sold by the accused.

Terming it a high profile case, Mr. Sekhar said that four teams had been formed to crack the case. On Monday, Sunil Y Nayak, inspector attached to the city crime branch, and T.D. Nagaraj, inspector attached to the Bajpe police station got information that the accused were moving in a car near Hunsekatte, off Thenka Yekkar, and arrested them. All those involved in solving the case would suitably rewarded, the commissioner said.

Mr. Sekhar said that the prime accused, Rao, was into real estate and other businesses. He had suffered losses and borrowed loans. With an aim to come out of the debt trap, he planned the robbery with the help of others. Their expectation of getting huge booty did not materialise, he said.

The commissioner said that the executors of the crime would be arrested soon. The police had to announce the arrest of the perpetrators as the incident had created concern among people in the region.

About eight miscreants wielding firearms and lethal weapons had entered the residence of Mr. Asranna in the early morning of October 4 and took away 80 sovereigns of gold, Rs. 50,000 in cash and three mobile phones after threatening the residents with the weapons.

Mr. Asranna lives at Gidikere, about 2 km from Kateel.

The miscreants spoke Hindi and Tulu giving raise to suspicion about the involvement of local people.

Deputy Commissioners of Police M. Shantharaju (Law and Order) and Sanjeev M. Patil (Crime and Traffic) were present.