Kotekar cooperative society robbery: Armed gang loots valuables worth Rs 4 crore

Mangaluru: A group of four unidentified men armed with lethal weapons including pistol, machetes barged into Kotekar vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangha Niyamitha branch at KC Road in Kotekar and decamped with valuables worth Rs four crore in broad daylight on Friday.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Anupam Agrawal said the dacoity occurred between 1 pm and 1.20 pm. A group of four, aged between 35-40 years, entered the bank wearing masks and carrying a pistol and machetes. At the time of the incident, four to five employees were present inside the bank.

The accused, who were conversing in Hindi, threatened the staff and forced the manager to open the strong room. They looted cash and gold jewellery stored in a Godrej locker. Preliminary estimates suggest the total value of the stolen items to be approximately Rs four crore.

The suspects also damaged a printer, forcibly took mobile phones from the staff, and snatched a ring from the CCTV technician present at the time. The group fled the scene in a black car, heading towards KC Road Junction, said police commissioner.

Multiple police teams had been formed to investigate the case and apprehend the dacoits. Efforts are being intensified to track the suspects based on available leads and technical surveillance, Commissioner informed.

Hearing the staff's cry for help, a group of students who were at a bakery situated on the ground floor of the building rushed to the bank. But the dacoits threatened students of dire consequences and asked them to go back. According to students, the dacoits spoke in Kannada, while the bank staff revealed during the police investigation that the robbers conversed with them in Hindi.

Mangaluru City Police have registered the case under Sections 126(2),127(7),309(2)(4),351,324(3) rw 3(5) of BNS and ARMS Act 3(1), 4(25)1B(b), 27.

CCTV repairs

A technician had arrived at the bank for CCTV repairs on the same day the theft occurred. The dacoits forcibly snatched a ring from the technician's finger and escaped with a gunny bag full of gold and cash, sources told DH.

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly U T Khader, visited the spot and gathered information from the staff. He also instructed the ACP Dhanya Naik to apprehend the dacoits immediately and reviewed the progress of the investigation. A dog squad, fingerprint experts, and a team from Ullal police also had visited the crime scene.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held an emergency meeting with senior police officials in Mangaluru and issued instructions to trace the culprits. As soon as the programme of the Medical Education Department concluded, the Chief Minister convened a meeting with senior officials, including Western Range IGP Amit Singh, Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, Superintendent of Police SP Yathish N, and DySP.

"Why did this happen despite all of you being present? How did the culprits escape so easily? How many toll gates have they crossed? Why weren’t the toll gates secured tightly?" CM asked the police officials.

Chief Minister was informed by police officials that no security personnel was posted at the cooperative bank. Only five to six bank staff were on duty during the time of dacoity.

The Chief Minister instructed that nakabandhi should be set up and security should be strengthened across four districts. He ordered the police to arrest the accused as soon as possible and initiate stringent legal action against them.