Burglary Suspect Arrested, Stolen Gold Recovered in Udupi
Udupi: Police have apprehended an interstate burglar linked to a daytime break-in in Byndoor, recovering melted gold that had been secretly stored in Tamil Nadu. The suspect, identified as Umesh Balegar, also known as Umesh P or Umesh Reddy, is a known offender from Kaup.
The burglary took place on March 5 at the home of Gurukiran Patwal in Paduvari village, located along the Byndoor-Someshwara road. Taking advantage of the empty house, Balegar broke in and made off with gold jewelry and cash stored in a cupboard. A case was subsequently registered at the Byndoor police station under relevant legal sections.
Circle Inspector Shivakumar B led the investigation and formed a special team of police officers to track down the suspect. On April 21, the team successfully arrested Balegar. During questioning, he disclosed that he had melted the stolen gold and hidden it in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, with plans to sell it. Acting on this tip, the police traveled to Madurai and recovered about 22 grams of gold, worth around ₹2.8 lakh.
Authorities noted that Umesh Balegar has a lengthy criminal history, with 36 cases filed against him across Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. He has been convicted in eight cases, while 23 others are still pending in various courts across multiple districts including Beltangady, Bantwal, and Chikkamagaluru.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of Kundapur sub-division DySP HD Kulkarni.
