Gang of seven highway dacoits arrested

Acting swiftly, the district police claim to have apprehended a gang of seven highway dacoits, who had created fear by striking at three different places in Hunsur taluk in the last one month.

Disclosing this to reporters here on Sunday, SP  Abhinav Khare gave the names of the accused. They are  S P Karthik, aged 23 years, chicken vendor, Santhe Mavathur, Kunigal taluk, Tumakuru district, Ravish, 24,  a farmer, Manja, 21, a shop worker, Venkatesh, 24, a farmer, Prasanna, 19, a shop worker, Basavaraju, 20 and Santosh, 19, all from Kamplapura, Periyapatna taluk in Mysuru district.

With their arrest, the police have succeeded in solving dacoity cases reported in Hunsur rural police limits on July 26, August 2 and 7 respectively.

On August 7, the gang had struck near Javanikuppe Gate on Hunsur-Periyapatna Road, when a car slowed down at a junction.

The occupants of the car --- Syed Riyaz and others of Bengaluru --- had been robbed of Rs 10,000 and valuables.

On August 2, D C Dhruvakumar and others from Virajpet in Kodagu district had been robbed of Rs 10,000 near Yashodapura in Hunsur taluk. In July, they had robbed Jyothi and others travelling in a car near Hunasegala in Hunsur taluk.

The police have recovered four motorcycles, a machete, an iron rod, pipes, seven cellphones and Rs 850 from them.

Explaining their modus operandi, Khare said the gang was adept at targeting the vehicles that slow down while negotiating speed-breakers. When the second case was reported, the police had vetted into the mobile phone calls originating from the spot and had also traced the suspects to Kamplapura.

However, during investigation it emerged that the gang members were from different professions, who had taken to robbery during night hours. When the third case was reported, the investigators were able to gather vital clues that confirmed the handiwork of the same gang.

Reacting to a query, Khare said, following the spate of highway crimes, there were chances of tourism being affected with the road stretch connecting to tourist spots in Mysuru and Kodagu districts. Known offenders on modus operandi bureau (MOB) list were also summoned and enquired, but in vain.

The SP said, following the revelations made by the gang targeting the vehicles slowing down at speed breakers, a plan is on to remove the speed-breakers at dark places considered vulnerable to crime. The night patrolling has also been beefed up, he added.

The police team, led by Hunsur (sub-division) Dy SP D Jayaram, consisting of CPI, Hunsur, Dharmendra, CPI, Periyapatna, Prasannakumar among others nabbed the gang.