Nearly five and a half months after a high-profile robbery, Mangaluru police have officially returned 18.306 kg of recovered gold ornaments, valued at ₹13.5 crore, to the K C Road branch of the Kotekar Agricultural Credit Co-operative Society. The handover was conducted in the presence of the bank’s manager, Vani, and an official gold appraiser, as directed by the court.
The audacious heist took place in broad daylight when a gang armed with a revolver stormed the bank, looting gold and cash before fleeing to Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. The robbers, hailing from Tamil Nadu with links to Mumbai, were later identified as Murugandi Thevar alias Kumar, Kannan Mani, and M Shanmugha Sundaram. They were assisted by local accomplices Shashi Thevar alias Bhaskar Belchappad and Mohammed Nazeer.
Following credible leads, Mangaluru police apprehended all the suspects and recovered the stolen ornaments. After a thorough investigation, authorities filed a detailed chargesheet against the accused.
In compliance with the court’s order, the seized gold was precisely weighed before being formally handed over to the bank. This recovery marks a major success for law enforcement in tracking and returning stolen assets to rightful owners.