Highway robbery: Police release photos of 14 absconding accused, announce cash reward

Mangaluru (Karnataka), Jul 6 (PTI) City Police here on Monday released photographs of 14 absconding accused named in the case of the recent highway robbery targeting a gold trader on the outskirts. Police appealed to the public to help trace them, assuring that the identities of informants would be kept confidential. Police said a cash reward would be given to those providing credible information leading to the arrest of the accused. According to the police, the prime accused has been identified as Shibin Gangadharan, a native of Puducherry. The other accused have been identified as Sreerag, Atul, Mithun Lal, Azeer Tharayil, Vaishakh, Aseer Payyannur, Pranav, Vigil Anjarakandy, Ubaid of Kodagu, Firoz, Moydu Abbas, Ziyad and Jameer Alika. Most of them are residents of various districts in neighbouring Kerala, they said. Police said photographs and details of the accused have been circulated across Karnataka and Kerala, and posters displaying their images have been put up at public places. Despite search operations conducted in coordination with the Kerala Police at multiple locations, the accused remain at large, officials said. Special police teams are continuing searches in Kerala and Kodagu district to apprehend the absconding suspects. In the early hours of June 29, a gang intercepted the car of a Kerala-based gold trader on the national highway near Baikampady on the outskirts of Mangaluru. The gang allegedly assaulted the trader, abducted his wife and child along with the vehicle, and fled after robbing about 180 grams of gold, cash worth around Rs 23 lakh and other valuables. The gang then abandoned the trader's family by the roadside two kilometres away from the spot of the crime, officials said. The Nimil, a native of Thalassery in Kerala, and Irshad and Mustafa, both residents of Madikeri in Karnataka, were arrested for allegedly providing logistical support to the gang. The Panambur Police are investigating the case, while efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining accused, police added. PTI COR AMP ADB