MYSURU: People of Mandya woke up to the sound of bullets as police opened fire as a form of self-defense during an operation launched to nab the accused in the murder and robbery case at a temple in Mandya.
A special team that is investigating the murder of three priests inside the Arakeshwara Swamy temple in the outskirts of Mandya has taken five persons into custody in connection with the case.
According to Mandya SP Parashuram, two persons were arrested on Sunday night while an operation was launched to nab the other three accused in the case.
“On Monday wee hours when the team went to nab the accused near Sadohalli gate in Maddur, the accused resisted and attacked our men. As self-defense the team members had to open fire. Three accused sustained bullet injuries while three of our policemen were also injured during the operation,” he said.
The arrested are identified as Viji, Manja, Gandhi, Raghu, and Abhishek, all natives of Mandya district while one is said to be a native of Andra Pradesh.
According to the investigating officer, all the five arrested in this case were habitual offenders and had been involved in a few temple theft cases earlier.
Mandya east police Sub-Inspector and two head constables who were injured in the operation are getting treated at the hospital in Mandya.