A Sip of Deceit: The Unsettling Story of a Moodbidri Couple's Ordeal

Picture this, if you will: a quiet afternoon in Handelu cross, nestled near Gantalkatte in Moodbidri. For Gangamma, 75, and her husband Sanjeeva Poojary, 80, life was perhaps a little slower, a touch simpler. They had, honestly, put aside a modest sum – twenty thousand rupees, to be precise. It wasn't for luxury, no, but for something far more essential: their house tax, and a small loan payment that loomed. A nest egg, meticulously saved, tucked away for a rainy day, or rather, for life's necessary burdens.

And then, she arrived. A woman, seemingly innocuous, asking for a sip of water. A common enough request, a gesture of simple hospitality, particularly in rural settings. Sanjeeva Poojary, in his late years, obliged. Who wouldn't, really? But this wasn't an act of thirst; it was a carefully orchestrated deception. What he drank, what was offered in that moment of apparent kindness, was laced with something sinister – a sedative. Almost immediately, you could say, a heavy fog descended upon him, pulling him into unconsciousness.

Gangamma too, tragically, received a similar offering. She also succumbed, though perhaps not as deeply. For a few agonizing hours, the house fell silent, save for the hum of everyday life outside. When Gangamma finally stirred, regaining a semblance of awareness, the chilling truth began to unfurl. The woman was gone, vanished into the afternoon. And with her? The twenty thousand rupees, that vital sum, along with their two mobile phones. A sickening realization, isn't it?

Gathering her strength, with a mixture of terror and urgency, Gangamma somehow managed to alert the neighbours. Imagine their shock, their immediate concern for the elderly couple. They were swiftly rushed to a private hospital in Moodbidri, their bodies recovering from the chemical assault, their minds reeling from the betrayal. A case, as you'd expect, was registered at the Moodbidri police station, setting in motion a different kind of hunt.

The local authorities, to their credit, didn't waste a moment. This wasn't just a robbery; it was a profound violation of trust, a strike against the most vulnerable. They poured over CCTV footage, tracing the woman's movements, piecing together the fragments of her escape. What they uncovered was, in truth, unsettling: this wasn't her first rodeo. The 38-year-old, hailing from Karkala, had a history, a previous similar incident in Shirva. A serial predator, you might say, targeting the elderly with chilling precision.

Their persistence paid off. Following the digital breadcrumbs and local intelligence, the police tracked her down in Bantakal, Karkala. The arrest was swift. And, perhaps most importantly for Gangamma and Sanjeeva Poojary, the stolen money – that hard-earned twenty thousand rupees – along with their two phones, were recovered. A small victory, yes, but a significant one. It's a stark reminder, honestly, of the hidden dangers lurking even in the most innocent of interactions, and a testament to the community and the law enforcement that stepped up when it mattered most.