Kaup: Four persons allegedly involved in a cattle theft case registered at Shirva police station have been arrested within 24 hours of the complaint, police said.
The case was registered after a resident of Kalathur village noticed that one of her cattle was missing and subsequently found the animal in a tempo parked nearby along with another cow.
Cattle found inside parked tempo
According to the complaint, Vasanti Sunitha Quadros of Nadiguttu in Kalathur village, Kaup taluk, noticed at around 4 pm on September 19 that one of her five cattle, a two-year-old black cow, was missing.
She began searching for the animal in the surrounding area. During the search, she noticed a tempo parked nearby.
On checking the vehicle, she allegedly found her missing cow along with another cow inside it. The two animals had allegedly been tied in a manner that caused distress.
The vehicle bore registration number KA 19 B 5641.
The complainant reportedly noticed Umarabba and three other persons near the vehicle. When they allegedly saw her, they drove away from the spot in the tempo.
Based on the information provided by Vasanti Sunitha Quadros, Shirva police registered a case and launched an investigation to trace the persons allegedly involved and recover the cattle.
First accused arrested on September 19
Police arrested the first accused, identified as Umarabba, 64, a resident of Kalathur village, on September 19.
Following his arrest, he was produced before the court and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, police continued efforts to trace the other three persons allegedly involved in the case.
The investigation focused on locating the absconding accused and recovering the vehicle allegedly used in the offence and the cattle found inside it.
Three absconding accused arrested
The remaining three accused were traced by police at Koppalangadi in Kaup on September 20.
They have been identified as Mohammed Shareef, 31; Shamshuddin, 57; and Mohammed Aseer, 24. All three are residents of Kalathur village.
Police arrested the three persons and seized the tempo bearing registration number KA 19 B 5641, which was allegedly used in the offence.
The cattle were also recovered and seized as part of the investigation.
With the arrest of all four accused, police said the action was completed within 24 hours of the registration of the case.
Multiple police teams involved
The operation was conducted under the leadership of Karkala sub-divisional assistant superintendent of police Ishita Gupta and Kaup circle inspector Azmath Ali.
Shirva sub-inspector Manjunath Marabad and Padubidri sub-inspector Shaktivellu E were part of the operation.
Anil Kumar T Naik and Hebri sub-inspector Lohith Kumar, along with personnel from Shirva, Kaup and Padubidri police stations, also participated in tracing the accused.
The CDR team of the Udupi district police office assisted the police teams during the operation.
The coordinated effort involved personnel from multiple police stations as the investigation progressed from the initial complaint to the tracing and arrest of the accused.
Investigation continues
The four accused have been arrested in connection with the cattle theft case, while the recovered cattle and vehicle have been taken into police custody as part of the investigation.
The case was registered at Shirva police station following the complaint by Vasanti Sunitha Quadros. Further investigation is under way to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged theft and the involvement of the accused.