City police crack 11 cases, `8.61L worth articles recovered

In a major haul, the city police have solved 11 cases, arresting nine accused in the case and recovering valuables worth totalling Rs 8.61 lakh from them. It includes the eight temple theft cases that had turned into a head ache for the men in khaki, given the spate of cases reported in one year.

A four member gang adept at temple theft, recently targeted the same temple they had raided a year ago, not anticipating trouble. However, they were soon surrounded by the City Crime Branch (CCB) police team, which apprehended them and recovered Rs 5.10 lakh worth gold and silver articles.

Krishna, Kabbalu and Arjuna of Lakshmipuram, and Mayur of Bannimantap had struck Rajarajeshwari Temple in BEML Layout here a year ago. Following the incident, the temple management had installed CCTV cameras at the temple. Unaware of the third eye, they had sneaked into the temple again only to be caught off-guard.

Police Commissioner M  A Saleem told the media here on Saturday that when the investigators were looking through the footage of the CCTV camera, Krishna turned out be a known offender.

After reaching Krishna, the investigators apprehended the remaining gang members, solving as many as eight temple theft cases reported in various parts of the city, like Vittaladhama in Vidyaranyapuram; Sri Kalikamba Temple, Nazarbad; Vinayaka Temple, Yaraganahalli; Chamundeshwari Temple, J C Layout; Vinayaka Temple, Vinayaka Nagar; and Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple, Srirampura.

Deploying a similar modus operandi, they had stolen 14 gold pendants, nine kg silver valuables, brass articles, and offering boxes worth totalling Rs 5.10 lakh.

The Commissioner said that the accused who belong to nomadic tribal community, did menial jobs like stove repair, rag-picking and balloon vending, as per their confession statement. They would zero in on their targets during the day, and accomplish the task during the nights. They had been gaining entry into the temples cutting the window grills with the help of a mechanised cutter.

Worker turns thief

In the second case, Jayalakshmipuram police have succeeded in cracking a theft case by arresting a youth who had burgled his employer’s house.

Mohammed Furkhan, aged 20 years and resident of Shantinagar here is the accused. He  was working at the shop of Yasin Basha. On August 26, he had decamped with gold and cash worth totalling Rs 2.75 lakh from Basha’s house in Vinayaknagar. Basha learnt about theft from his wife Umme Nazma.

Chain recovered

Vijayanagar police have solved a window theft case, recovering a gold chain worth Rs 40,000 from them. The two accused identified as Shivaraj of Mandya, and Mahaveer Jain of K R Nagar had lifted the valuable when the victim Manjula was asleep at her house in Vijayanagar, on March 16.

The duo were moving in a suspicious manner when they came under the net of Metagalli police recently. During interrogation, they confessed to the Vijayanagar crime. Metagalli police informed their Vijayanagar counterparts, who took them to custody through court.

2 women held

Two women disguised as customers who had made way with a gold chain worth Rs 36,000 from a jewellery shop have been arrested by Vijayanagar police.

Leela of Chamundipuram and Roopa of Mahadevapura are the accused. The duo who later emerged as history sheeters, had gone to Chamundeshwari Jewellers at Vijayanagar on August 11. 

One among them had pocketed a gold chain weighing 12 grams, after diverting the attention of the salesman. However, when the policemen assessed the footage of CCTV camera in the shop, they grew suspicious about the two women. The duo had committed similar offences at jewellery shop in Saraswatipuram and Kuvempunagar.