- Nagaraju, wife Jayashree relieved of Rs 3.81 lakh worth valuables
- They are residents of Ramakrishna Nagar ‘E & F’ Block
- Complaint lodged at Mandya Rural Police Station
Mysore/Mysuru: Even as the newly built 10-lane Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway is set for a formal opening soon, a couple from Mysuru was allegedly robbed of their valuables and cash all worth Rs. 3.81 lakh near Mallaiahanadoddi Bore in Mandya district on the Expressway on Feb. 6.
58-year-old N. Nagaraju, a resident of ‘E & F’ Block, Ramakrishna Nagar in city and a teacher at Government High School, Railway Workshop Colony, Mysuru and his wife L. Jayashree are those couple who were robbed by a two-member gang of armed robbers in the wee hours of Monday (Feb.6). The couple lodged a complaint later in the day at 12.30 pm at Mandya Rural Police Station.
The couple’s son M.N. Madan, who is employed in Bengaluru had come to Mysuru on Feb. 3. He along with his parents had gone to his wife’s place at Hiriyur in Chitradurga District on Saturday (Feb.4), for the naming ceremony of his child. After the ceremony, Madan, dropped his wife and kid at his parents’ home in Mysuru and returned to Bengaluru.
On Sunday (Feb. 5), Nagaraju and Jayashree (Madan’s parents) drove to Bengaluru to drop their daughter-in-law and grandchild at their son’s house at Anjanapura in J.P. Nagar there. They reached Bengaluru at 5 pm and started their return journey, after having dinner at 10.30 pm.
In his complaint, Nagaraju has alleged that “Myself along with my wife had gone to Bengaluru. We were driving back home from Bengaluru in our car, when we stopped the vehicle near Mallaiahanadoddi Bore at about 1.10 am. I went out to attend nature’s call and was washing my face, when two strangers aged about 28 to 30 years came near the vehicle. One of them pushed me towards the driver’s seat and pulled the key from the car. He sat on the rear seat and held a knife on my neck, while another threatened my wife with a dragon weapon. As my wife screamed, the assailant warned of hitting her and threatened to get rid of us, if we don’t hand over the valuables.”
Najaraju further stated that they were constricted from seeking help out of fear though there were vehicles moving constantly on the same stretch of the highway.
“They later snatched 20 grams gold chain with a pendant weighing one gram, finger rings weighing 25 grams and Rs. 25,060 cash from me (Rs 60 from shirt pocket and Rs 25,000 from the trouser) and a gold mangalya chain weighing 67 grams from my wife, all totalling 92 grams. The total worth of valuables including cash is Rs 3,81,060,” he added.
Nagaraju further alleged that the robber, who had held his wife, came out of the car, closed the door with his leg and jumped over the fence while the other who had held him, returned the key asking him to start the car and later got down. The robber warned Nagaraju not to stop the car for atleast 50 kms, besides threatening that the car would be under the watch of his accomplices, who would kill them if they stopped.
The petrified Nagaraju, drove the car till Manipal Hospital Junction (formerly Columbia Asia Hospital) on Mysuru- Bengaluru Expressway that marks the entry to Mysuru City, before stopping there. He later called his relatives over phone and narrated the incident. They advised him to go home and approach the Police later.
A complaint was lodged at Mandya Rural Police Station on Monday (Feb.6). Following the complaint by Nagaraju, Mandya Rural Police registered a robbery case under IPC Section 394. They (Police) conducted a spot mahazar and have launched a hunt to nab the robbers.
This post was published on February 8, 2023 7:55 pm