Nagaraj Shetty, an under-trial who escaped from the police in Udupi and wanted by police in at least five States, has been arrested by Goa police on Thursday.
His wife Vijayalaxmi Nagaraj Shetty, who is believed to be an accomplice in most of his criminal acts, has also been arrested by the police who were investigating a burglary case in Saleigao in north Goa.
Calangute police said the woman has admitted to her involvement in the crime. Several gadgets, currencies of various countries — 1,500 British Pounds, Rs.31,000, and 10 Australian Dollars — and silver jewellery worth Rs. 6,000 have been recovered from the duo. The investigation also revealed that the duo is involved in numerous property offences in Karnataka, the police said.
Shetty, who has several aliases including Gopal Ganesh Nadar and Satish Prabhakar, has cases booked against him at police stations in Hubli, Shimoga, Manglore, and Udupi . He is also wanted by the police in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh in connection with the crimes committed there.
Wife’s role
Vijayalaxmi is said to have played key role in helping Shetty escape from the custody of the police escort team.
The accused was produced at Udupi District Court for trial under the escort of Kerala police in August in connection with a theft and house-break case. As the escort team was staying at the railway station to proceed to Kerala, the wife allegedly lured the escort team to stay in a hotel and booked two rooms for the night.
The two policemen escorting him stayed in one room while the Shetty and the woman in another room. The duo escaped from the first floor through the AC duct using bed sheets. Since then they have been staying in Goa, police said. Shetty is also suspected to be involved in the murder of inmate Vinod Shettigar when he was lodged in Udupi sub-jail in 2011.
Man shot at
In an incident that continues to baffle the police, a man was shot in the middle of a forest close to Shiradi village on Thursday morning. According to the Uppinangadi police, Thaniappa, who was cutting wood in the dense reserve forest, was shot on his hand.
However, he nor his relatives could trace the shooter. A case was lodged on Thursday night.
Auto drive ends life
An autorickshaw driver, who could not repay a loan, committed suicide at Vijaynagar Kodi in Herga village near Manipal on Friday. Police said Chandu Naik (35) had taken a loan from an autorickshaw society.
