Highway Loot

• Family’s gold worth Rs. 48 lakh stolen from parked SUV near Yelwal hotel
• Avoid dark, secluded parking spots: Police

Mysore/Mysuru: In a daring highway theft last night, unidentified miscreants made away with gold jewels worth about Rs. 45 lakh to Rs. 48 lakh after breaking into a parked SUV at Yelwal on Mysuru-Hunsur Highway. The theft occurred when vehicle occupants stopped at a nearby hotel for dinner.

The incident took place around 8.30 pm. The victims — 30-year-old Rajesh, his wife and their young son — were coming from Bengaluru to attend a wedding. Rajesh, a native of Mangaluru and currently residing in Horamavu, Bengaluru, works in a private company, while his wife hails from Virajpet in Kodagu.

The family left Bengaluru in the evening in their Creta SUV (KA-01-MP-8240) bound for Virajpet. On the way, they had stopped the vehicle for a tea break as it was a long drive. After crossing Mysuru, they reached Yelwal and stopped at a popular vegetarian hotel for dinner.

Instead of parking in front of the hotel — where CCTV cameras and security personnel were present — Rajesh chose to park a few feet away near an ATM on a dimly lit stretch, intending to make an easy exit after dinner.

This decision proved costly. Taking advantage of the dark, deserted spot, thieves broke the right-side glass of the SUV and decamped with three trolley bags kept in the rear boot          space of the SUV.

Two of the bags contained clothes and personal belongings, while the third held about 375 grams of gold jewellery, valued at approximately Rs. 45 lakh. A larger trolley was left behind, as the thieves could not pull it out through the window.

When the family returned around 9.15 pm after dinner, they were shocked to find the SUV’s glass shattered and their bags missing. Rajesh immediately informed the Yelwal Police.

In his statement, Rajesh said that apart from the jewellery taken for the wedding, they had also purchased additional gold in Bengaluru, thereby increasing the total loss. Upon receiving the complaint, Yelwal Police rushed to the spot along with a dog squad and fingerprint experts.

However, heavy rain around 9 pm washed away potential evidence, making it impossible to lift fingerprints. Adding to the challenge, there were no CCTV cameras covering the area where the SUV was parked.

The District Fingerprint Unit team, led by Inspector Balasubramanya, ASI H.R. Harish, Head Constable Madhu Chandra and Scene of Crime Officers, carried out a detailed examination of the vehicle.

Police suspect that the thieves may have either tailed the SUV from Bengaluru, where the family had stopped for a tea break, or were already lurking near the Yelwal hotel, waiting for an opportune moment under the cover of darkness to strike and steal valuables from vehicles parked by diners.

After his statement to the Police and other formalities, Rajesh then called a friend in Hunsur and informed him about the theft. The friend, accompanied by his wife, rushed to Yelwal and later drove Rajesh, his wife and their child to Virajpet in their vehicle.

Superintendent of Police (SP) N. Vishnuvardhana, Additional SPs Nagesh and C. Mallik, DySP D.B. Rajanna, Mysuru South Rural Circle Inspector Shivananjashetty and Yelwal Sub-Inspector Mahendra visited the spot. A case has been registered at Yelwal Police Station and investigations are underway to trace the culprits.