Udupi: Police in Manipal and Karkala have arrested three accused who had allegedly remained away from court proceedings for several years in connection with pending criminal cases.
Manipal police arrested two men who had allegedly been absconding for around 18 years in a theft case, while Karkala police arrested another accused who had reportedly been evading court proceedings for nearly nine years in four separate cases.
The three accused were traced in separate operations in Ullal, Talapady and Pandavapura. The arrests were carried out based on warrants issued by the respective courts.
Two accused arrested after 18 years
Manipal police arrested Mohammed Haneef and Fayaz Mohammed, who had allegedly remained absconding for about 18 years without appearing before the court in a theft case.
The two were traced during police operations conducted in Ullal and Talapady. Head constables Chetan and Manjunath of Manipal police were involved in tracing and arresting the accused.
After their arrest, both men were produced before the court.
Following the hearing, the court imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on Mohammed Haneef and Fayaz Mohammed and disposed of the case, according to police.
The arrests bring an end to years of pending court proceedings in the theft case, which had remained unresolved because the accused were reportedly unavailable to face the proceedings.
Karkala police arrest accused in four cases
In a separate operation, Karkala police arrested H Venkatesh of Shivamogga, who had allegedly been evading court proceedings for nearly nine years.
Four cases registered against Venkatesh at Karkala police station were pending before the ACJM and JMFC court in Karkala.
According to police, Venkatesh had initially been arrested in connection with the cases and was released on bail in 2009 after spending time in prison.
He allegedly stopped appearing before the court after his release and subsequently went absconding. As the cases remained pending, they eventually reached the Long Pending Case (LPC) stage, following which a warrant was issued against him.
Accused had earlier been arrested in 2017
Police said Venkatesh had been arrested again in 2017 and produced before the court.
However, while in judicial custody, he secured bail and was released. He again allegedly failed to appear before the court and remained unavailable for nearly nine years.
The cases continued through various stages, including the recording of evidence. Proceedings were also underway regarding his status as an LPC accused when the warrant was issued.
Karkala police subsequently began efforts to trace him based on the warrant.
Venkatesh traced to Pandavapura
A team led by PSI Naveen Borkar, along with head constable Chandra Billava and police constable Santosh Siddarayyappa, conducted an operation to trace Venkatesh.
The police team located him in Pandavapura in Mandya district and arrested him on the night of October 3.
The arrest was carried out nearly nine years after he had allegedly stopped appearing before the court in the four Karkala cases.
The operation involved coordination beyond Karkala as the accused had reportedly moved to another district after remaining away from the court proceedings.
Sent to judicial custody
Following his arrest, Venkatesh was produced before the Karkala ACJM and JMFC court on October 4.
The court remanded him to judicial custody until October 17. He was subsequently sent to Hiriyadka prison, police said.
His arrest allows the pending proceedings in the four cases to continue before the Karkala court.
The police action also forms part of efforts to trace accused against whom warrants have remained pending for extended periods.
Police focus on long-pending cases
The separate operations by Manipal and Karkala police highlight efforts to execute warrants against accused who have remained unavailable for prolonged periods.
While Mohammed Haneef and Fayaz Mohammed were reportedly wanted in a theft case pending for around 18 years, Venkatesh had been linked to four separate cases pending before the Karkala court.
In the Manipal case, the two accused were produced before the court and the matter was disposed of after fines were imposed.
In the Karkala case, Venkatesh remains in judicial custody as the court proceedings continue.
Separate police operations lead to arrests
The three arrests were not part of a single case. They resulted from separate investigations and warrant-execution operations conducted by the two police units.
Manipal police traced Haneef and Fayaz Mohammed in Ullal and Talapady, while Karkala police located Venkatesh in Pandavapura.
The cases demonstrate the challenges faced by law-enforcement agencies in tracing accused who move away from the jurisdiction where their cases were registered.
Police teams used available information to locate the accused and execute the pending warrants.
Conclusion
Manipal and Karkala police have arrested three warrant accused who had allegedly remained away from court proceedings for several years. Two men wanted in an 18-year-old theft case were arrested by Manipal police, while Karkala police traced another accused wanted in four cases after nearly nine years.
The arrests have enabled the respective courts to proceed with the pending matters, with two accused facing fines and the third being remanded to judicial custody.