Bengaluru family uses tech to outwit, help cops catch gang of dacoits

A gusty family outsmarted a gang of dacoits and helped the Talaghattapura police capture them on Wednesday.

The dacoity attempt took place in the early hours, and police have arrested seven men, led by Shaik Kaleem, 22, from Electronic City. The others are from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

Ajay Karay Balagopal and his sons Rahul and Sameer live in Vishranthi Layout, Narayananagar 1st Block, near Raghuvanahalli.

Rahul, 27, is a manager in an automotive components company. He woke up and went to the kitchen on the ground floor at 5.20 am to make coffee for himself. He noticed some things in disarray.

“I thought my father or brother had dropped things. But after a few minutes, I sensed something was not right. I checked live CCTV footage on my phone. I saw two people hiding behind the furniture,” Rahul told DH.

He tiptoed upstairs and told his father to get the gun out. The family owns a licensed double-barrel gun. Rahul checked the camera again to find five people hiding in the kitchen. They were armed with machetes, metal rods, and pipes. “They were waiting for me or my father so that they could attack us,” he says.

Ajay called Shivamurthy, a neighbour’s watchman, and whispered to him to call the police. He did, and the police arrived within 12 minutes, Rahul said.

Soon, Rahul heard some footsteps on the roof. Rahul and Ajay went downstairs and Ajay pointed the gun at the men hiding there. Ajay locked two of them in.

Hoysala staff, comprising assistant sub-inspectors Shivakumar and Mahadev and two constables, rushed to the house. But, since the gang was armed, the police positioned themselves at the front and side doors and called for reinforcements.

Twelve additional policemen reached the spot. The two men on the roof noticed all the commotion, and jumped to the ground. Ajay fired three shots in the air, but they escaped.

The dacoits inside understood they were trapped. Using his smartphone, Rahul turned on all the floodlights outside the house. Three men were locked inside the bedroom while two others were hiding in another room.

All five were caught after an hour-long operation. A team headed by sub-inspector Vinay K L nabbed Kaleem and Niyaz, who had jumped from the terrace and run away, from Anekal bus stand within nine hours.

Besides the weapons, police seized chilli powder packets and a rope. Police said the gang comprised those working in a bar in Mumbai in 2018.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, they had lost their jobs and returned to Bengaluru, said P Krishnakant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).

The gang had climbed to the terrace and gained entry to the first floor and then spread out.

Those arrested are Mohammed Niyaz alias Miraj, 21, of Bihar; Mohammed Imran, 24, and Syed Faisal Ali, 23, both from Uttar Pradesh; Ram Bilas, 27, from Rajasthan; Sunil Dangi, 20, of Madhya Pradesh; and Rajath Mallik, 21, of Odisha.

Why this house was targeted

The family runs a company in Electronic City. Kaleem had seen them driving expensive cars. So he hatched a plan to rob them, police said.

He watched the family for two months and contacted the others with a plan, promising each of them Rs 10 lakh from the heist.

“We appreciate the timeliness of the call made to ERS 112, and the swift work of our team,” said DCP Krishnakant.