Four more individuals have reportedly been arrested in connection with the Kotekar Cooperative Bank gold robbery case at the KC Road branch. Two of the suspects were apprehended in Tamil Nadu, while the other two were caught in Mumbai, said sources. Additional police teams have been dispatched to Tamil Nadu and Mumbai to bring the suspects to Mangaluru.

Three individuals have already been arrested in relation to the crime. Preliminary information suggests that around 10 people were directly involved in the heist. After committing the crime, some members of the group fled to Tamil Nadu, where two of them separated from the others and went into hiding, taking some of the stolen gold with them. The police have now arrested these two individuals and seized the gold. This information is yet to be confirmed by the police.

In Mumbai, the police had already received information about two suspects hiding there. Following a coordinated operation, these two were arrested on Wednesday. The police are now conducting extensive interrogations, with further arrests likely, according to reliable sources.

It has now emerged that one of the individuals involved in the robbery is from the Kerala border region. This individual had previously been involved in a criminal case and had served time in prison, where he reportedly came into contact with members of a notorious crime gang based in Dharavi, Mumbai. He is believed to have masterminded the robbery in association with this group. It is still unclear whether he was the sole orchestrator or if there were others involved.

Use of Fake License Plates During the Robbery

In a significant development, it has been revealed that the robbers used a vehicle with a fake license plate for the entire operation, including their travel from Maharashtra to Suratkal. The police discovered the fake plate when they seized the vehicle used in the crime. The robbers continued using the same fake plates when they fled to Tamil Nadu after the robbery.

Kannan Mani (35), one of the arrested suspects, was taken into custody two days ago but had not yet divulged any useful information regarding the robbery. However, on Tuesday evening, while attempting to flee during a location identification process near Alankara Hill, he was shot by the police. Following this incident, Mani revealed crucial details about the individuals involved in the robbery, according to sources.

Police have brought two key suspects from Tamil Nadu’s Ambasamudram Court to Mangaluru under transit warrants. The suspects, Murugandi Thevar (36) from Padmaneri village, and Yosua Rajendran (35) from Dombivli, Mumbai, were presented before the court. They are now being brought to Mangaluru for further proceedings.

During the investigation, the police seized a Fiat car, two pistols, four live bullets, three lakh rupees, and 2 kg of gold.

The total amount of gold stolen in the robbery is estimated to be between 18 and 19 kg, but only 2 kg has been recovered so far. The whereabouts of the remaining gold are unknown, and further investigation is needed to determine whether the robbers distributed the loot among themselves or took it to Kerala or Tamil Nadu. Police teams in Mumbai are keeping a close watch on the suspects’ residences and associates, following leads.

There have been speculations that a few individuals involved in the crime may be from the Kinya village area. Speculation is also rife about a prominent figure from Mangaluru being connected to the case. Further investigation will reveal whether these rumors are accurate.