Puttur: Puttur Rural police have arrested four persons allegedly involved in an inter-state vehicle theft network and recovered an Omni car stolen from Maadnoor Kaavu, along with a KTM motorcycle allegedly used to carry out the theft.

The theft took place between June 19 and 20 this year within the jurisdiction of Puttur Rural police station. Following the complaint, police registered Crime No. 94/2026 under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation.

The accused have been identified as Abdul Sayil J (25), Mohammed Aseef (25) and Mohammed Siraj (28), all residents of Kasaragod in Kerala, and Shaktivelu G (24), a resident of Karur in Tamil Nadu.

Police team tracks accused across two states

The investigation was carried out under the guidance of Puttur sub-division deputy superintendent of police Pramod Kumar and Puttur Rural police station in-charge inspector Thimmappa Naik.

A special investigation team led by PSIs Gunapala J and Sushma G Bhandary pursued several leads in connection with the theft.

As part of the probe, the police team travelled across Kerala and Tamil Nadu and tracked the movements of the suspects. The investigation eventually led to the arrest of all four accused, who are alleged to have been involved in vehicle thefts spanning multiple states.

The police said the arrests and recovery were the result of an intensive investigation carried out over several weeks after the theft was reported.

Stolen Omni recovered, motorcycle also seized

During the operation, police recovered the stolen Omni car, which is estimated to be worth Rs 2.5 lakh.

They also seized a KTM motorcycle valued at around Rs 1 lakh, which was allegedly used by the accused while carrying out the vehicle theft.

According to the investigation, the accused allegedly stole the Omni from Maadnoor Kaavu and first transported it to Kerala.

The vehicle was subsequently moved to Tamil Nadu, where it was allegedly sold.

Police further found that the Omni was later converted into an ambulance in Tamil Nadu, adding another dimension to the inter-state investigation.

The recovery of the vehicle is expected to help investigators establish the route through which the stolen car was transported and identify any other persons who may have been involved in its sale, transfer or conversion.

Accused linked to other theft cases

During the interrogation, police reportedly found that theft cases had already been registered against the accused at Badiadka and Vidyanagar police stations in Kerala.

The existence of previous cases has raised suspicions about the accused’s alleged involvement in similar offences.

Investigators are expected to examine the available records and gather further details about any possible links to other vehicle thefts in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The case has also highlighted the challenges faced by investigating agencies in tracking stolen vehicles that are quickly moved across state borders and later sold or modified.

Police said such investigations often require coordination between police stations and authorities in different states to trace vehicles, verify ownership records and identify those involved in transporting or purchasing stolen property.

Accused remanded to judicial custody

Following their arrest, all four accused were produced before the jurisdictional court.

The court remanded them to judicial custody.

Further investigation is under way to determine whether more persons were involved in the alleged vehicle theft network and whether the accused have links to additional cases.

The recovery of the stolen vehicle and the alleged motorcycle used in the crime is considered a significant development in the case, with the investigation now focusing on the wider network and the movement of stolen vehicles across state borders.