Three chain-snatchers, two burglars adept in inter-district crimes arrested

Mysore/Mysuru: Chasing chain-snatchers and burglars, the City Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths have arrested five criminals who were experts in inter-district crimes. They have records in Police Stations of Bengaluru and Hassan. Arresting them has enabled the Police to recover gold and silver articles worth Rs. 24 lakh.

Acting on a tip-off, the CCB sleuths took three persons who were found moving suspiciously in front of a wine store on Ashoka Road on Feb. 20. They turned out to be chain-snatchers and were subjected to intense interrogation. They confessed to snatching gold chains in Mysuru city and in Mandya district.

Based on the information provided by the accused, the CCB Police recovered five gold chains weighing 165 grams worth Rs. 8.5 lakh, besides the two-wheeler that was used for the crimes. With their arrest, the Police solved one case each in Narasimharaja, Kuvempunagar and Lakshmipuram Police limits and one case in Srirangapatna Police limits.

Following increased incidents of house burglary, the City Police Commissioner had formed a special team of CCB Police. The team went to Bengaluru and rounded off one person at Shivajinagar on Jan. 17 and interrogated him.

During interrogation, the accused is said to have confessed to breaking into three houses in Mysuru city and decamping with valuables. Based on the information provided by the accused, the Police have recovered 2 kg silver articles from him.

The accused had also robbed about 156 grams of gold ornaments and had sold the same with the help of his friends to a private gold company in Bengaluru. The Police have issued a notice to the gold company to produce the ornaments it had purchased from the accused. With this, the Police have traced the stolen gold ornaments and silver articles worth Rs. 9 lakh.

With his arrest, the CCB Police solved one case each in Lakshmipuram, Metagalli and Jayalakshmipuram Police Stations. It is learnt that the accused has many house burglary cases registered against him at various Police Stations in Bengaluru and was also jailed. But after coming out of the jail, he continued his profession.

On Jan. 27, the special CCB team took another house burglar near Hunsur Bus Stand and interrogated him during which the accused confessed to committing house burglaries in various Police limits in Mysuru and decamping with gold ornaments, silver articles and cash.

Based on the information provided by the accused, the Police have recovered 131 grams gold ornaments and 92 grams silver articles, all worth Rs. 6.5 lakh. Following his arrest, the CCB Police have solved one case each in Vijayanagar and Vidyaranyapuram Police Stations.

The accused has house burglary cases already registered against him at Vijayanagar Police Station and at Gandasi Police Station in Hassan. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) M.S. Geetha Prasanna and CCB ACP C.K. Ashwathnarayan guided CCB Inspector R. Jagadish, fingerprint division ACP Rajashekar and staff of CCB Police in the nabbing and recovery operation.