Tattoo artist, financier in debt & forester among 11 held for dacoity in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: A 33-year-old tattoo artist, who had been adjudged the ‘Best Professional Tattoo Artist in Karnataka’ by a market research and brand management company this July, a financier and a ranger were among 11 persons arrested for barging into the house of a businessman on December 4 and fleeing with valuables worth Rs 45 lakh and Rs 23 lakh in cash. Besides tattoo artist Suresh A alias Surya, 33 from Tumakuru, the arrested include Nelamangala financier T Vasant Kumar alias Boda (Bald), 38, and deputy range forest officer (DRFO) from Chikkamagaluru Surendra B, 40. The others arrested are Sridhar from Chitradurga and Kulla Vasant, A Anil Kumar, D Nagaraju, Navaz Pasha, Rahil Pasha, Sheik Shahabaz and Usman Khan, all from Bengaluru.Suresh is said to have done tattoos for a leading Kannada actress.December 4 incidentThe dacoity had taken place on the night of December 4 at the house of one Roopesh Manohar, a businessman from Peenya. Around 8pm, a man in police uniform knocked on Roopesh’s door, saying he had come for an inquiry. Not sensing the trap, Roopesh opened the door and DRFO Surendra accompanied by Navaz Pasha walked in. By then, Roopesh’s mother Sujata walked out, wondering why the dog, which was chained, had been continuously barking. Five others — Rahil Pasha, Sheik Shahabaz, Usman Khan and two more men who are yet to be arrested — stood outside.The miscreants barged into the house, attacked Roopesh with daggers and fled with 273 grams of gold worth over Rs 45 lakh, Rs 23 lakh cash and 370 grams of silver articles.“Suresh knew D Nagaraju, who once worked as Roopesh’s driver. During a conversation, Nagaraju had said that his employer was rich and had plenty of cash and gold at home. One day, Suresh and Vasant Kumar were discussing about their financial crisis and recalled Nagaraj’s words. Their common friend Sridhar from Chitradurga suggested that if Roopesh could be looted, they could become rich. Sridhar roped in DRFO Surendra saying entering the house in police dress would make the job easy. Since Surendra was looking for big money to settle in life once for all, he agreed,” an investigating officer narrated. “Sridhar and Vasant told Suresh to arrange a few stocky men with criminal backgrounds so that they could be sent into the house to commit the dacoity. While Suresh, Vasanth Kumar, Kulla Vasanth Anil and Sridhar stood some distance from the house, others led by Surendra executed the plan. After the dacoity, they met behind a college near Kunigal to divide the booty,” the officer added.Nagaraju kept in the darkThough Nagaraju had taken part in the conspiracy, his associates didn’t inform him after the loot. “Somehow, Nagaraju learnt about the dacoity and asked Vasant, Suresh and others about it. Promising a share, they silenced him,” the officer added.