Harugeri police have arrested two individuals involved in a roadside robbery, where a woman was targeted and her jewelry was stolen from her bag near a crowded bus stop. The accused falsely claimed they would help her withdraw money from a bank.
Following a detailed investigation, police identified the suspects as Dastgir Gulab Sheikh (resident of Kolhapur) and Kushappa Talwar (resident of Desai Ingli, Chikodi taluk). It was discovered that the duo were linked to nine similar cases reported in Harugeri, Chikodi, Terdal, Nipani, Mudalgi, Kagwad, Athani, and Sankeshwar.
The case began when Rukkavva Krishnappa Kamble of Hidkal lodged a complaint on June 1. She was approached by the accused, who misled her by saying that ₹40,000 was lying in her name at a bank in Alagwadi. They took her to Saidapur School near Hidkal on a two-wheeler, and convinced her to remove her necklace under the pretext that the bank wouldn’t release money if she wore gold. After she removed it, they abandoned her and fled.
During the investigation, 64 grams of gold, a two-wheeler valued at ₹80,000, and other stolen property totaling ₹7 lakh were seized.
In a separate incident, the same suspects had also robbed another woman, Vidyavati alias Sangeeta Rajendra Kudchi of Shahapur, Belgaum, on October 16. While she was boarding a bus to Miraj from Harugeri Cross at around 12:30 PM, the accused exploited the crowd to steal six tolas of gold from her bag. This incident was also registered.
In total, police recovered 53.5 grams of jewelry and a two-wheeler worth ₹4 lakh used in the crime. Altogether, stolen property worth ₹11 lakh was recovered.
The operation was carried out under the leadership of District Police Chief Dr. Bhimashankar Guled, with efforts by Harugeri PSI Ratan Kumar Jirgyal, Sub-Inspectors Malappa Pujari and Shivanand Karjol, and officers B. L. Hosatti, Ramesh Mundinamani, A. S. Shandge, H. R. Ambi, P. M. Saptasagar, and Vinod Thakkanwar from the Technical Cell.
