Mangaluru Police Commissioner Issues Strict Warning to Bail Sureties; Assets of 17 People Attached

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Mangaluru : Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy has issued a stern warning to the general public regarding providing bail sureties for accused individuals involved in heinous crimes. Speaking to reporters at the Commissioner’s office on Saturday, he emphasized that those who stand as guarantors for criminals must ensure the accused appears before the court for trial. Failure to do so could lead to severe legal and financial consequences for the sureties, as the police have intensified their crackdown on absconding offenders.

Over the past six months, the city police have launched a specialized operation to track down rowdy sheeters and accused persons involved in long-pending serious cases, including murder, communal rioting, stone-pelting, attempted communal murder, rape, and gang rape. While the primary goal is to arrest these fugitives, the Commissioner noted that equal focus is being placed on the individuals who provided bail sureties for them. As a result of this initiative, 15 notorious rowdies have already been apprehended and their trials have commenced.

In a significant move to enforce accountability, the police have initiated the process of attaching and seizing the properties of those who stood as sureties for 17 major accused persons who are currently absconding. Once a property is attached by the court, the surety loses the right to transact or deal with that asset until the accused is produced in court and the attachment is legally revoked. Furthermore, the court has already imposed fines ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹1,00,000 on 11 individuals who provided security for missing criminals, and these fines have been successfully recovered.

The Commissioner further revealed that the department is scrutinizing cases dating from 1990 to 2023. In the last six months alone, 38 rowdy sheeters have been identified across 48 different cases, and legal proceedings against them are in various stages. Additionally, the police have uncovered instances of “fake sureties” where individuals provided fraudulent documentation to secure bail for criminals. Two separate cases have already been registered against those involved in providing such fake guarantees. Citizens are advised to exercise extreme caution and verify the character of the accused before agreeing to provide legal surety.