Nine including one contract Pourakarmika of MCC arrested for highway robbery

Srirangapatna: They were a group of youngsters, all between 19 and 24, and at an age when other youths in their age group focus on careers, these nine youth took to crime for lucrative and easy money. Into the habit of leading a life of fun, liquor and other vices, these youths used to rob hapless commuters on highways. 

Interestingly, some of the youths used to do odd jobs like masonry and vegetable vending during the day and rob people in the night. One of the accused is a contract Pourakarmika at the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC). All of them have been arrested now by the Srirangapatna Police who have intensified night patrolling following a series of road-robbery cases on the Mysuru-Mandya stretch of the Bengaluru Highway. 

The arrested have been identified as 19-year-old U. Upendra alias Uppi, 20-year-old Kiran alias Iski, 23-year-old Pratap alias Aapu, 21-year-old Madappa alias Shivu, 28-year-old M. Shekhar, 21-year-old Anooj alias Idli, 20-year-old Kiran alias Aane, residents of Rammanahalli and 24-year-old Ravikumar alias Ravi alias Abbu and 22-year-old G. Shivakumar alias Shivu, residents of Gandhinagar in Mysuru. Ravikumar alias Abbu is a contract Pourakarmika in the MCC.

Bannur-Srirangapatna Highway 

On the night of Jan. 21, the accused had robbed Rs. 11,000 and mobile phones from Venkatesh, and Ranganath, arecanut merchants from Bherya village near K.R. Nagar and Nagesh from Koodlur in Chamarajanagar district. They were travelling in a goods vehicle at 1.30 am at Doddapalya on the Shivanasamudra-Bannur-Srirangapatna Highway under Arakere Police Station limits when the accused, who came in a Maruti Omni vehicle, waylaid the goods vehicle. 

Getting down from the Omni with machetes and knives, the accused threatened the occupants of the goods vehicle and robbed them. On Jan. 30 at 12.10 am, the same gang robbed Purushotham and Chandrashekar who were travelling near Hampapura (Mysuru-Arakere Highway) on their bike. Both Purushotham and Chandrashekar were assaulted with iron rods and robbed of Rs. 9,800. 

On the same night at 1.30 am, the accused had robbed Sanjay, an employee of Mysuru Dairy near Rammanahalli while he was riding his motorcycle heading towards his house at Gobbaragaala.

Robbery cases were registered at Arakere Police Station and Mandya SP K. Parashuram formed a team under Additional SP Shobharani, Srirangapatna Dy.SP Arun Nagegowda and Circle Inspector Krishnappa. The team managed to arrest the nine accused. Investigation revealed that the accused worked as masons, vegetable vendors and were involved in several robbery cases on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway, Mysuru-Hassan Highway and Mysuru-  Arakere Highway. 

Alert check-post Police

The investigating team had alerted all the check-posts and on Feb. 5, a Maruti Omni van was intercepted at Hampapura check-post at 6.30 pm where the Police found machetes, clubs and knives inside the vehicle. On interrogation, the Police came to know about the robberies and all the other accused were picked up. 

Eleven mobile phones, Rs.1,400 in cash, Omni vehicle, and two scooters along with weapons have been seized and the total worth of seizure is Rs.2,54,570. Shivakumar alias Shivu, who owns the Omni vehicle, is an accused in an extortion case registered at Malleswaram Police Station in Bengaluru.