Bantwal: Large-scale bitumen theft racket busted, 10 booked

Bantwal: A bitumen theft and illicit trade racket was busted by the CEN Police during a raid at Amai of Kadeshwalya village. The operation resulted in the seizure of six tankers and other assets.

Police said they have booked 10 individuals allegedly involved in the unlawful activity.

The raid was held on the night of December 8, during which a team of CEN police headed by PSI Manjunath T. discovered the large-scale operation of stealing and transferring bitumen to tankers at Amai in Kadeshwalya.

Police said they have booked cases against 10 accused – namely Vijayakumar Shetty, Sudhakar Shetty, Mohammed Imran, Ashraf M., Virendra S.R., Madaswamy, Prabhakaran, Naveen Kumar M.G., Mohammed Nisar, and Mohammed Sihabuddin – who were involved in the trade.

Detailing the modus operandi, police said that the accused siphoned off bitumen from trucks loaded at MRPL. The stolen material was being transferred to other tankers and sold illegally.

Police claimed that during interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement and divulged details of their collaboration with Sudhakar Shetty of Kadeshwalya village and Sudhakar Kottari, allegedly at the behest of Vijaya Kumar Shetty from Udupi.

As many as six tankers, a weighing scale, an asphalt heating gas cylinder, an iron tank, and nine mobile phones linked to the case were seized during the raid, police added.

A case stands registered at the Bantwala Rural Police Station.