Four individuals, including two serving Karnataka Police sub-inspectors, were arrested on Monday, November 24, 2025, for allegedly robbing a jewelry artisan of 76 grams of gold and a 2.15-gram gold ring worth several lakhs of rupees. The arrested officers have been identified as Malappa Chippalakatte and Praveen Kumar, both recently transferred from Haveri district to the Eastern Range police office in Davangere. The two civilian accomplices were also taken into custody following a complaint filed by the victim, Vishwanath Arakasali, a Karwar-based artisan who was returning from a business trip.
According to police and the complainant, the incident occurred around 12:30 am on Sunday when Arakasali arrived at Davangere bus stand after travelling from Hubballi. The two sub-inspectors, in plain clothes, allegedly followed him, grabbed him by the collar, flashed their police identity cards, and forcibly bundled him into an official police jeep parked outside the terminal. They initially drove towards the KTJ Nagar police station but later transferred the victim to a private car, where they threatened him with dire consequences unless he surrendered the gold he was carrying for delivery to merchants.
The officers reportedly confiscated the 76-gram gold bar and the small ring before driving towards Bengaluru and eventually dropping Arakasali back at the same bus stand, warning him against reporting the matter. Shocked and fearing for his safety, the artisan immediately approached senior officers and lodged a formal complaint, leading to swift internal action. “We arrested both the officers yesterday on charges of robbing a person of gold,” a senior Davangere police official confirmed to media on Tuesday, adding that departmental proceedings and suspension orders are being processed.
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The brazen misuse of police authority has triggered widespread outrage and embarrassment within the Karnataka Police. The case falls under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for robbery, criminal intimidation, and impersonation-related offenses. As investigations continue, authorities are examining CCTV footage from the bus stand and tracing the private vehicle used in the crime. The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of police conduct in the state, underscoring the rare but damaging instances when uniformed personnel turn predators on the very citizens they are sworn to protect.
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