BENGALURU: Two notorious criminals from Mangaluru were shot in the leg and arrested by the Kothanur police on Tuesday evening for allegedly forcing a man to perform oral sex on them last month. The victim, who is a student, was also kidnapped and robbed of cash, mobile phone and gold ornaments.The accused — Mohammed Ashik (22) of Kapu in Udupi and Issac (21) of Kundapura — are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Yelahanka.
Around 5 am on March 26, Ashik, Issac and two others were roaming around in Kothanur in a car that did not have a registration number plate. The gang saw the victim, who was alone, returning home from a temple in his car. They blocked the victim’s vehicle and two of them got in. They threatened him at knife point and took away his gold ring. As they were driving him around Bellandur, Whitefield and other areas, they demanded Rs 50,000 and threatened to kill him if he did not arrange the money. They snatched his ATM card and took the PIN from him, but could withdraw only Rs 6,000. “With the money falling short, the accused drove the car towards Sarjapura Main Road and forced the victim to perform sexual act on them. Later, the gang dropped him and escaped,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East) Anoop A Shetty.
After registering the case, Kothanur police checked CCTV footage at the ATM kiosks and found out about the gang who called themselves ‘Team Garuda-900’. After the incident, the gang had camped in Mangaluru and Udupi for almost a week. On Tuesday, the police learnt that the gang was moving in Jakkur in a red car. Seven policemen in two vehicles chased the car and surrounded them at Shivaram Karanth Layout. When the accused attacked a sub-inspector, the other officers fired at the accused.
The gang committed robberies, extortions, house and cattle thefts. They were active in Mangaluru, Udupi and Kundapura. They have criminal records since they were minors,and were leading a lavish life. They had over 10 warrants against them for jumping bail.