Four culprits have been working over the last 4-5 days to dig the tunnel
The tunnel that was dug to gain access to the jewellery store, on Kanakapura Road, in Bengaluru on Friday. (Photo: DC)
Bengaluru: Alert residents along with responsible police officers averted a major heist at a jewellery shop in Sarakki Gate on Kanakapura road under J.P. Nagar police station limits early Friday.
Around a dozen policemen, who rushed to the spot, arrested three people who were digging a tunnel from a storm water drain to gain access into the jewellery shop by reaching to a spot underneath the shop’s floor. One of the four culprits managed to escape, the police said. The arrested men have been identified as Saleem, 30, Kabir, 22, and Hussain, 20 and the culprit at large has been identified as Ismail, all of them hailing from Bangaladesh.
Passersby near Priyadarshini Jewellers, located at 14th Cross, Sarakki Gate in J.P. Nagar 1st phase, grew suspicious when they heard sounds of digging coming underneath a storm water drain around 2.30 a.m. on Friday. There was a garbage pileup nearby and the accused were busy digging a hole beneath the heavy concrete slabs of the drain, the police said. One of the passersby alerted the police.
They swung into action and within no time they reached the spot and the digging stopped. The J.P. Nagar police requested for more backup from the night patrolling team of Banashankari police as they were not sure how many men were there below the drain. “After an hour-long operation with the help of the residents and passersby, who helped the cops providing emergency lights and keeping vigil on the exits and outlets of the drains nearby, the police arrested the trio who were all drenched with dirt,” said Sanjeev Kumar Mahajan, police inspector J.P. Nagar police station. “They had all types of tools used for digging including jacks, crowbars, screwdrivers and other equipment,” he added.
According to the police, the four culprits have been working over the last 4-5 days to dig the tunnel through the drain to the jewellery shop’s base. While the three men kept digging inside, one stayed outside to keep a watch from a distance, the police said. The tunnel was already dug for about 10 to 12 feet and it was the last day of their operation to enter the shop and execute their heist, said the inspector. The shop had about 5-6 kilograms of gold ornaments and 40 kilograms of silver, ornaments and articles.
The search for the fourth culprit continued through the morning after the police brought in earthmovers and removed the concrete slabs to check whether there were more men. A case has been registered under IPC sections 457 and 380 and the police are further investigating.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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