UP gang suspected behind armed house theft in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Kodigehalli police in northeastern Bengaluru suspect the role of a gang from Uttar Pradesh in Wednesday's house break-in and theft case, police officers said on Thursday.

During the theft, one of the three masked suspects drew a gun on the victim before fleeing from the spot with the stolen goods and cash.

According to the complainant, who is a resident of Sahakara Nagar, he, his wife and daughter were away on Wednesday when the theft occurred. At around 8.20 pm, Dr D Umashankar, 54, returned to his house only to see the front door open. He entered the house and found one of the masked men standing inside and inquired about his identity.

“The person loudly shouted bhaiyaa, bhaiyaa in Hindi,” the complainant alleged.

When Umashankar attempted to lock the door due to suspicion, another masked man arrived, pointed a gun at him and shouted in Hindi: “Dharwaza kolo [expletive], nahin toh thok dunga (Open the door, otherwise I will shoot you).”

Scared, the complainant let go, the First Information Report (FIR) noted. In the meantime, Umashanakar saw a third masked man coming down from the house's first floor with a bag. The trio then dragged Umashanakar to a room and fled.

The complainant alleged that when he came out of the room and checked the first floor, he found jewellery weighing 500 grams, six Swiss-made wristwatches and Rs 20 lakh cash missing.

Well-known gang

A senior police investigator told DH that they suspect the role of a well-known gang from Uttar Pradesh, who have cases in multiple states.

“It's a gang that does house break-ins and theft. They search for locked houses, break in and enter. They wear regular clothes (shirt/t-shirt and jeans/pants),” the officer said adding that the suspects spoke in Hindi with a UP dialect.

“We are aware of the gang leaders and their last whereabouts but we need to confirm the persons who were part of the crime on Wednesday,” he added.

The Kodigehalli police have booked a case under IPC Sections 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) and 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt). Investigations are on.