‘Rolex’ arrested: LCU fan and drug network link Sagesh Kumbali held in POCSO case

SULTAN BATHERY: The man police were hunting in an investigation code-named Operation Rolex has been arrested in Bathery. Sagesh Kumbali, an alleged key link in an inter-State drug network and an accused in a POCSO case, was taken into custody while in hiding, police said.

The name of the operation was linked to Sagesh's reported fascination with the character Rolex from the film Vikram. Active on social media, he allegedly projected an image modelled on the character and used the platforms to establish friendships with students, police said.

Investigators allege that Sagesh targeted girls through these contacts and later took them to lodges, where he allegedly gave them drugs and sexually assaulted them. His arrest is in connection with a case involving a 16-year-old girl from Kozhikode who was allegedly taken to a lodge after being given drugs and assaulted.

Police had been searching for Sagesh for around one-and-a-half months. A team led by Elathur Inspector K R Ranjith carried out the operation and arrested him in Bathery.

Sagesh is accused in around 15 cases, including attempted murder cases, and has previously served a jail sentence for possessing ganja, according to police. Police also suspect that he supplied drugs to contract gangs and people associated with the martial arts and gym sectors.

The Elathur police and cyber cell conducted the investigation under the name Operation Rolex, tracking several tower locations and phone numbers while trying to locate him. With Sagesh's arrest, investigators expect to obtain crucial information about the drug network operating in and around Kozhikode, police said.