Mangaluru: Absconding criminal wanted in multiple house theft cases arrested

Team Udayavani, Apr 17, 2023, 11:03 AM IST

The Mangalore City Crime Branch (CCB) Police have arrested a notorious inter-district house burglary accused who had been absconding for several years.

The accused, identified as Siddharaju alias Murthy, a resident of Metagalli in Mysore, had been involved in various criminal activities, including house thefts in Kavoor police station area of ​​the city and cattle thefts in different parts of Udupi, Shivamogga, and Chikkamagaluru districts.

During the operation, the police recovered stolen gold jewelry worth around Rs 15,00,000, a Hero Honda Schneider Plus motorcycle, and two mobile phones used in the crime. The accused has reportedly committed a total of 13 cases of house burglary in various parts of the state.

According to police sources, the accused was previously involved in the murder case of a woman named Gangamma in 2005, and was under judicial custody when he escaped from police custody in 2006. He had been on the run since then until his recent arrest.

The accused was caught red-handed while attempting to rob a house in Mangalore, and subsequent investigations revealed that he was operating in conjunction with another criminal named Puneeth from Arakalagud in Hassan district.

The police have registered a total of 30 cases against the accused, including charges of murder, rape, attempted murder, and theft across various police stations in Mysore, Mandya, Udupi, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan districts.