Thieves stab sub-inspector to death in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, a sub-inspector attached to Doddaballapura Town police station was stabbed to death by two thieves, suspected to be father and son, when the SI along with his staff tried to nab them in connection with a house theft case.

After the murder, the accused snatched the SI’s fully-loaded service pistol and escaped. The incident took place in Nelamangala on the outskirts of the city on Friday afternoon.

The deceased, S. Jagadish, was a 2010 batch SI and was working in Doddaballapura Town PS since July 2014.

Police constable Venkatesh Murthy was also stabbed and has been hospitalised. He is said to be out of danger.

Following the incident, more than 100 policemen have been sent out in teams to nab the accused.

The accused, Krishnappa, aged around 45 years, and Madhu, 25, hail from Shivamogga and have several cases of vehicle theft and burglary against them.

On September 19, a house theft was reported in Doddaballapura Town PS. The police, who found a mobile phone at the crime spot, learnt that the phone belonged to Krishnappa. As they kept track of the phone number, though the SIM card was deactivated, it was learnt that the number was active in Nelamangala area. Further probe revealed that Krishnappa had bought a Honda Dio from Turbo Honda showroom in Vinayaka Layout.

The police contacted the management of the showroom and asked them to call Krishnappa and his son and ask them to collect documents related to the new vehicle. The staff of the showroom asked Krishnappa to come on Friday morning. As per the plan, a five member police team headed by Jagadish were waiting at the showroom for the arrival of the accused.

The owner of the showroom, Ravi, told DC, that the SI and two other cops were waiting inside the showroom while two other cops were waiting outside. “Madhu and Krishnappa came on two separate vehicles. As they came inside probably they noticed the cops. As they entered, the team went outside and took position to nab them as soon as they come out of the showroom. The accused duo came to know its a trap and left the showroom hurriedly within five minutes. As they went out, the police chases them,”

The two accused left their vehicles and started running. Jagadish and Venkatesh Murthy chased them. After 500 meters, Jagadish caught hold of Krishnappa and took out his service pistol. On seeing this, Madhu came back and pushed the SI down. Jagadish fell in an open drain. Krishnappa passed the dagger to Madhu, who stabbed Jagdish 13 times in the rib cage and abdomen, killing him on the spot.

Shocked by the unexpected attack, constable Venkateshamurthy tried to nab the duo but they stabbed him in his upper back. Before leaving the spot, the accused picked up the fully loaded service pistol that was dropped by the SI in the melee. As the duo managed to escape brandishing pistol and dagger, the three other unarmed cops - Gangadhar, Chandru, Shashidhar - stood mute spectators. The accused reportedly escaped on a bike but there is no confirmation on how they got the bike.

Immediately, the cops rushed their colleagues to hospital, where the SI was declared brought dead and Venkatesh Murthy was admitted to the ICU. A case is registered in Nelamangala police station in this connection.