Managuli Bank Burglary: 12 More Arrested, 39kg Gold & ₹1.16 Cr Cash Recovered; Total Arrests Reach 15
The burglary occurred between the evening of May 23 and the early hours of May 25
Vijayapura: In a major breakthrough in the sensational Managuli Canara Bank burglary case, police have arrested 12 more individuals, taking the total number of arrests to 15. In total, 39 kg of gold and Rs 1.16 crore in cash have been recovered till now.
The burglary occurred between the evening of May 23 and the early hours of May 25. The gang broke into the bank by cutting window grills and accessed the locker room, stealing 58.97 kg of gold ornaments and Rs 5.20 lakh in cash. They also took the CCTV network’s NVR to erase all footage. Initially, Canara Bank reported 58.97 kg (gross weight) of stolen gold, but later confirmed the net weight of the gold as 40.7 kg.
The first arrests in June included Vijaykumar (41), a Senior Manager at Canara Bank (earlier posted in Managuli and recently transferred to Kolar district), Chandrashekhar (38), a private employee, and Sunil (40), a driver. Police recovered 10.5 kg of gold and melted bars worth Rs 10.75 crore from them.
Based on their inputs, police arrested 12 more over the past 15 days. Those arrested include Railway Department employees Balaraj Manikam (40), Baburao (40), and Solomon Wesley (40), private workers Gundu Joseph (28), Chandanraj (29), Anil (40), Abu alias Mohan Kumar (42), drivers Ijaz (34) and Anil (40); duplicate key-maker Mohammad Asif (31), guest lecturer Peter alias Vinodchand (40), watchman Susaia Raj (44), and electrician Maryadas (40). All are Hubballi residents and known to each other.
Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Chetan Singh Rathore said the gang was highly organized, and eight teams worked to nab the accused. SP Laxman Nimbargi added that the gang melted the gold at Chandrashekhar’s school. A part of gold was used to gamble in a casino. Rs 1.16 crore in cash deposited for gambling was seized.
Police also seized five cars and a Tata railway truck used to transport crime tools and two-wheelers. Tools, duplicate keys, gas cylinders, walkie-talkies, and a pistol-like lighter were recovered. The gang used fake records to justify their travel as scrap disposal.
“Balaraj, who worked in scrap disposal for the railways, created false records indicating they were heading to Vijayapura for scrap transport. They stayed near Managuli, executed the crime, and returned. Since they appeared to be on official duty, no one suspected anything,” Nimbargi said.
