Mangaluru : Mangaluru Police in a swift operation have arrested three youths including a teenager on charges of dacoity that was reported at Malali under Bajpe police station limits on Sunday.

The accused Abdul Aziz, 19, of Kinnikambla in Muluru, Mohammad Mustafa, 23, of Badagulippadi and Ashlesh A Kotian, 20, of Ullaibettu – all in Mangaluru taluk had robbed Senthil Kumar, who runs a small finance business, of his collection.

The accused – four in all – armed with a sword and a knife astride two motorcycles had waylaid Senthil, who was on his way to Malali Site on his motorcycle around 2.30pm on Sunday. City police chief Sandeep Patil said the accused, who perhaps knew Senthil’s Sunday routine of collecting the money, had hatched the plan and executed it at a desolate spot and decamped with Rs 2.05 lakh kept in the box of the motorcycle.

A team headed by Srinivas Gowda, assistant commissioner of police, Mangaluru north sub-division, based on a tip off about the presence of the accused, nabbed Abdul Aziz and Mohammad Mustafa at Kukkudakatte near Gurupur and Ashlesh at Ullaibettu. During questioning, the accused admitted that they had carried out the dacoity with another person and efforts are on to nab that person, Sandeep Patil said.

Lauding the police team for nabbing the accused within three days of the incident, Patil said police recovered Rs 21,800 in cash, the motorcycle used in the crime, three mobile phones, one sword and a knife from the accused, all valued at Rs 60,000. Patil said the accused had executed the plan under direction of Khalid, who is on the run. “He is a notorious offender and has more than 10 cases against him,” the city police chief added.