Mangalore police nabs highway extortion gang

MANGALORE: City police succeeded in nabbing a gang of five involved in highway extortion on Monday. The arrested are Mahammed Azeem (23) of Pudu village in Bantwal, Ahammed Sadiq (19), Nisar Hussain (23), Hasanabba Noushad (23), three from Katipalla in the city, and Y Shashidhara (30), a resident of Theggarse, Kundapur in Udupi. Police has seized two cars, five lethal weapons, two chilli powder packets, four mobile phones and Rs 12,750 from the accused. They are wanted in three highway robbery cases registered in Mangalore East police limits, one at Udane, Uppinangady and two cases registered at Shiradi in Sakleshpur police limits. City police commissioner R Hithendra said that the accused were engaged in robbing from trucks that ply on long routes. The modus operandi of the accused is waylaying trucks of various states, threaten driver and rob money. The gang, who hire cars from agencies, also used to injure truck drivers and cleaners when they resist, the commissioner said. Mangalore East police inspector TD Nagaraj said that the accused were arrested on national highway Jodukatte near Maroli. "The gang use to travel in hired cars and target trucks parked on national highways. They enter from both doors of the truck and threaten driver and conductor showing weapons. The gang with Azeem as its mastermind and Sadiq with his expertise plan the extortion during day time and execute it in the night. We are interrogating the accused to know whether they are involved in more cases of highway extortion," Nagaraj said adding that Sadiq was a juvenile accused involved in a murder case of 2013. The gang target only long journey trucks as its drivers always carry huge amount with them for fuel and other expenses. Majority of the truck drivers, who come from North and Eastern parts of the nation, are reluctant to file complaint due to time constraints and other reasons, he said adding that the accused have been produced before the court. -TOI