Kundapur: Rural police have arrested a man who had been absconding for several years and was allegedly involved in multiple criminal cases registered across the state. The accused, against whom numerous warrants were pending, was taken into custody during a targeted operation based on specific intelligence inputs. Police said he will be produced before the court for further legal proceedings.
Accused linked to multiple criminal cases
The arrested individual has been identified as Shashank Shetty (32), son of Shekhar Shetty, a resident of Saukuru Alwar House in Gulwadi village of the taluk. Investigators said he was also operating under multiple aliases, including Shashikiran, Kiran Shetty, Rakesh and Shashi, allegedly to avoid detection.
According to police sources, a total of 11 criminal cases have been registered against him at different police stations. Out of these, seven cases were registered at the rural police station in the taluk, while one case each was booked at stations in Hebri, Kalaghatgi, Kota and a Bengaluru jurisdiction.
The charges listed in the various FIRs include theft, robbery and honey-trap-related offences. Officials said the nature of the cases shows a pattern of repeated criminal activity across locations.
Twelve warrants pending, accused on the run
Police stated that at least 12 court warrants had been issued against the accused in connection with the pending cases. However, he allegedly failed to appear before the courts and had been on the run for nearly four years.
During this period, multiple attempts were made to trace him through address verification, informant networks and inter-station coordination. Officers said he frequently changed his place of stay and identity details, making tracking difficult.
His use of different names in different locations further complicated efforts to execute the warrants.
Arrest made after specific tip-off
The breakthrough came after police received credible information that the accused was present at Bidkal Katte area in the taluk. Acting swiftly on the tip-off, a special team was formed to verify and act on the input.
Police conducted a focused operation on February 15, 2026, and successfully located and apprehended him without incident. Following his arrest, formal procedures including identity confirmation and warrant verification were completed.
Officials said the arrest is expected to help progress several long-pending cases where trial had been delayed due to his absence.
Special team carried out operation
The arrest operation was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Superintendent of Police H.D. Kulkarni and Circle Inspector Santosh A. Kaikini. The field team was led by the station’s Sub-Inspector (Law and Order) Nasir Hussain and Sub-Inspector (Investigation) Chandrakala M. Pattar.
They were assisted by Head Constables Raju B. and Guru Prasad, along with Police Constables Kiran B. Patil and Chandra Shetty. Police sources said coordinated groundwork and continuous follow-up were key to tracing the accused after years of evasion.
To be produced before court
Police confirmed that the accused will be produced before the competent court and remand will be sought as required in the pending cases. Further custodial questioning may be carried out in connection with the registered offences.
Officials added that efforts are ongoing to trace absconding accused in other long-pending cases as well, with special drives focused on warrant execution.
The arrest is expected to bring momentum to multiple investigations and enable the judicial process to move forward in the cases where proceedings had been stalled.