Davanagere (Karnataka), Nov 25 (PTI) Police on Tuesday said they have arrested seven people, including two police sub-inspectors for allegedly threatening a jewellery artisan and robbing him of gold.
The two arrested officers were identified as Malappa Chippalakatte and Praveen Kumar.
“We arrested both officers yesterday on charges of robbing a person of gold,” Davangere Superintendent of Police Uma Prashanth told reporters.
She said the victim, Vishwanath Arakasali, a jewellery artisan from Karwar, had come to Davangere and was allegedly cheated. Based on his complaint, the two sub-inspectors were arrested.
According to the complainant, the sub-inspectors, who were recently transferred from Haveri district to the eastern range office in Davangere, intercepted him.
Arakasali was returning from Davangere with a 76 gm gold bar and a 2.15 gm ring he had collected from gold merchants.
Police said that at around 12.30 am, the victim arrived at the bus stand from Hubballi when the sub-inspectors followed him, grabbed him by the collar, and identified themselves after showing their police identity cards.
They allegedly took him in a police jeep parked outside the bus stand towards the KTJ Nagar police station, then moved him to a private car and “threatened” him.
The officers reportedly told him he would not be released unless he handed over the gold.
While travelling towards Bengaluru, they allegedly snatched the gold bar and ring before dropping him back at the Davangere bus stand.
Arakasali then returned to Davangere and lodged a complaint at the KTJ Nagar police station. Based on the complaint, police registered a case and arrested the two sub-inspectors, along with two others—Satish Revannavar of Vinayaka Nagar and Nagaraj Revalkar of Sirsi—for allegedly providing information and assisting in the crime.
Police said they have seized the car and a fake gun used in the incident.
The arrests come days after Bengaluru police apprehended constable Annappa Naik on November 22 for allegedly masterminding an ATM cash heist of Rs 7.11 crore.
In another case, a constable from Kolar was arrested along with a few others for allegedly abducting four manager-level employees of a Bengaluru-based BPO firm on November 22.
The accused are said to have extorted Rs 8.90 lakh from the operations manager and sought additional money, police said. PTI GMS SSK SA
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