A gang, who allegedly used chilli powder and weapons to attack and rob commuters on the city’s streets during the night, was busted after a dramatic chase on Sunday night in Kodigehalli.
A techie driving his bike late in the night on Kodigehalli main road was waylaid, threatened with weapons and robbed of his mobile phone and other valuables, a week ago.
Ironically this incident occurred just a few feet away from the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East).
The police intensified patrolling during the night after the incident and they came across the gang, allegedly hatching an armed robbery on a deserted stretch of Railway Parallel road, Sahakar Nagar, on Sunday night.
Chase
A dramatic chase ensued as the gang tried to flee from the spot but police reinforcements soon arrived and they were successful in apprehending all nine members of the gang.
The police recovered two bikes, mobile phones, weapons and packets of chilli powder from them.
The arrested have been identified as Manoj (20), Abhishek S. (20), Dayanand (29), Raju (20), Abhishek (20), Ramesh (19), Ganesh (19), Babu (19), and Sagar (19) all hailing from western parts of the city.
With their arrest, the police have claimed to have cracked at least seven such armed robbery cases and a murder case reported in 2013.
Active since 2011
The gang was active since 2011 and most members have criminal cases, such as murder, two-wheeler lifting and assault cases, pending against them.
However, it is for the first time that the police busted this gang, which was also involved in armed robbery and dacoity during the night.
Police investigations have now revealed that they used to go around Outer Ring road and the interior areas of Nagawara and Yelahanka areas to carry out their thefts.
They claimed that they have now ascertained their role in armed robbery cases reported in 2012 and 2013 in Kodigehalli, Chandra Layout, Subramanya Nagar, Yeshwanthpur, Magadi Road, Jigani and Girinagar.
However, the police suspected that the gang may have been involved in many other cases as well.
Armed robberies on the city’s streets during the nights have become a major security concern for late-night commuters.
A study conducted in January 2015, revealed two major modus operandi followed by the gangs.
One is obstructing the way of lone bikers and picking up a quarrel to make it seem like road rage, before robbing them.
The second is offering a lift to commuters in their car and robbing them.
The study revealed that most of these robberies were reported from the south-east division which houses the IT corridor, where employees commute late in the night.
The gang of nine dacoits used to split into multiple groups and stalk the city’s streets during the nights on motorbikes, armed with chilli powder and weapons. They would waylaid commuters obstructing their way with the bikes, throw chilli powder in their faces and threatened them with weapons to give up their valuables. They usually stole mobile phones, cash, gold jewellery from the victims, before fleeing from the spot.
Number of robberies reported in 2014: 538
Highest number reported in South East division: 202
Lowest number reported in North-East division: 22
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Prone areas: Whitefield, Madiwala, Marathahalli Main Road, Outer Ring Road, Jnanabharathi, Kodigehalli, Chandra Layout, Subramanya Nagar, Yeshwanthpur, Magadi Road, Jigani and Girinagar.
