Police in Mangaluru arrested 11 persons on May 29 who are allegedly part of an inter-state dacoit's gang involved in kidnapping and attempted murders. The large-scale arrests was a joint operation of Mangaluru City Crime Branch police and Mangaluru City police, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar told reporters. Police have recovered two cars, five swords, 10 mobile phones and 440 gm gold from the gang.
According to the police, the arrested are identified as Mohammed Mahaz (20), Mohammed Aadil (25), Abdul Salam alias Pattodi Salam (34), a notorious rowdy sheeter, Abdul Sheik (22), and Mohammed Sharukh (26) are from Mangaluru and surrounding areas. Syed Hyder Ali (29), and Asif Ali (28) are from Bengaluru, whereas Shabbas Hussain (49), Mushahid Ansari (38), Sheik Sajid Hussain (49), and Mustaq Kureshi (42) are from Mumbai.
The Mangaluru police investigated the kidnapping case that took place in the first week of May when Waqar Younis, assigned to carry gold to a person in Bengaluru, was kidnapped and robbed in Uppala in Kasaragod, Kerala. After Younis was released by the abductors, kidnap and dacoity cases were booked.
"Rehman Sheikh from Mumbai had handed over gold to Waqar Younis during the first week of May 2021, to be given to Hyder Ali of Bengaluru. While Waqar was carrying the gold to Bengaluru, his friend Mahaz, a resident of Belvai, requested Waqar to come to Belvai. Mahaz and Aadil of Uppala and two others, after meeting Waqar at Moodbidri, kidnapped Waqar and took him to Uppala in Kerala and looted 440-gram gold given by Rehman, and abandoned Waqar in Uppala," the police explained.
The police said that when Rehman and Hyder inquired about the gold given to him, Waqar said that the gold was robbed by Mahaz and others. When Rehman and Hyder started insisting Waqar to return the gold, Waqar received threat calls from Pattodi Salam, therefore he filed a case at Moodbidri police station on May 21.
In this connection, the police first arrested Mohammed Mahaz and Mohammed Aadil who spilled the beans about the entire operation and thus leading to the arrest of the entire inter-state kidnapping and dacoity gang. The police have registered a case and are investigating.