Vanished cab driver, a body in a quarry and a trail of robbery

 

By Sagaya Fernando | June 23, 2025

Mangaluru, Karnataka, INDIA: In early November 2008, a cab driver who had just started his job vanished without a trace from coastal Karnataka. Within weeks, police uncovered a chilling murder plot driven by a gang of robbers who needed a vehicle — and saw a stranger’s life as expendable in their pursuit.

The case began with what appeared to be a routine theft. On November 9, Praveen Shetty, a newly recruited driver from Shivamogga district, departed with a Toyota Innova from his employer’s travel agency in Panja village, Dakshina Kannada, and never returned. His employer, Ravi Devadiga, reported both the driver and the vehicle missing at the Mulki police station.

Initially, police suspected that Shetty had absconded with the car, a not-uncommon occurrence in the region. But when calls to Shetty went unanswered and his family confirmed he had not returned home, investigators realized something more serious had occurred.

Grim Discovery in a Quarry

Three days later, the case took a macabre turn. On November 12, a group of laborers working near a granite quarry in Kulai village stumbled upon a lifeless body in a nearby pond. The hands were bound. The body, soon identified as Shetty's, was recovered and linked to the missing persons report.

While the car remained untraced, the murder investigation began in earnest under Police Inspector Parameshwar Ananth Hegde, now Additional Superintendent of Police in Udupi district. Early leads were elusive — Shetty had no known personal disputes, and the motive for murder was unclear.

A Breakthrough on the Highway

The following day, police stationed at a checkpoint in Karkala noticed a suspicious Innova matching the missing vehicle’s registration number speeding past. The car was later found abandoned near Ujire, over 50 kilometers away. It was confirmed to be the same vehicle Shetty had driven.

Investigators turned to mobile phone data. By triangulating numbers active at the crime scenes — the quarry, robbery sites across the region, and the checkpoint — they identified a pattern. One number stood out. It belonged to a man named Safwan Hussain.

Safwan was apprehended in the town of Koppa in neighboring Chikkamagaluru district. Under interrogation, he reportedly confessed to the crime and named three accomplices: Mohammed Arif, Samshuddin, and Moideen. All were later arrested.

According to police, the motive was tragically utilitarian. The group allegedly abducted Shetty to gain access to the Innova, a vehicle they intended to use for a series of nighttime highway robberies. Investigators believe Shetty was drowned in stagnant quarry water and weighed down with rocks to conceal the crime. The car was modified with a fake license plate and then used in several crimes before being discarded.

Trial, Acquittal, and a Long Wait for Justice

On December 30, 2008, a formal chargesheet was filed. The accused were charged with kidnapping, robbery, murder, and destruction of evidence. But the legal battle was far from over.

In March 2013, the trial court in Mangaluru acquitted all the accused, citing insufficient evidence. The decision stunned the investigative team, which had relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and call detail records.

Refusing to accept the verdict, police appealed to the Karnataka High Court. Over time, victims of the associated robberies came forward and gave testimony, strengthening the prosecution’s case. On February 28, 2020, the High Court overturned the acquittal, citing a miscarriage of justice and convicting the accused to life imprisonment, with fines imposed on each.

In their ruling, Justices S N Satyanarayana and H P Sandesh criticized the trial court’s judgment, writing that the original verdict had prejudged the case and failed to properly assess the evidence, effectively allowing injustice to prevail.

A Fugitive Abroad

Despite the High Court’s ruling, one major figure remains beyond the reach of Indian authorities. Safwan Hussain, who was also implicated in a separate attempted murder case, managed to flee the country. Authorities suspect he is hiding in the Gulf region and have issued a Red Corner Notice through Interpol.

Inspector Hegde, whose perseverance was instrumental in solving the case, was later awarded the Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation in 2021.

Inspector Hegde reflected on the crime’s senselessness. “They didn’t even know the man. He was just a driver doing his job,” he said. “They killed him for a car. That’s all he was worth to them.”