Tue Feb 25 19:58:07 UTC 2025: ## Mangaluru Police Arrest Mastermind Behind January Bank Heist
**Mangaluru, February 26, 2025** – Mangaluru City Police announced the arrest of two more suspects in connection with the January 17th heist at the Kotekar Vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangh’s Talapady branch. The arrests include the alleged mastermind, 69-year-old Bhaskar Belchapada (alias Shashi Thevar), apprehended in Bengaluru, and 65-year-old Mohammed Nazir, arrested in Ullal.
Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal stated that Belchapada, a former resident of Kanyana who had been living in Mumbai for two decades, had been collaborating with Nazir for the past seven years. The pair allegedly orchestrated the heist over the preceding six months, providing crucial information to the other four previously arrested suspects. This included the bank’s layout, staff details, and escape routes.
Belchapada’s extensive criminal history was also revealed, with past involvements in dacoity, robbery, and extortion cases across India. These include an attempted dacoity in Delhi (2011), an Arms Act violation in Mumbai (2021), and two cases in Mangaluru (2022).
The January heist resulted in the theft of 18.6 kg of gold and ₹11.67 lakh in cash. With these arrests, police have now recovered 18.31 kg of the stolen gold, ₹3.8 lakh in cash, two pistols, two machetes, and a car. A total of six individuals are now in custody in relation to the crime.
First Piper 