Guard opens fire to foil dacoity, again

In the past fortnight, it was the third attempt to steal construction material from the gated community

It was another busy night for a private security guard at Narayana Guru Samithi Layout in Hebbagodi, as he fired from his licensed gun to chase away dacoits, who had come to steal construction material from a gated community early on Thursday morning. Uthappa Dore (36) was repelling dacoits for the third time in the past fortnight.

In both previous cases reported on September 4 and September 13, he had opened fire to foil attempts to steal construction material from the site.

Uthappa told

The Hindu that around 1.30 a.m., he observed a vehicle parked near the gate. When he switched on the light, someone pelted stones at him. “I immediately fired three rounds in the air following which one of the construction workers screamed out from within one of the rooms. Some unknown men emerged from that direction. I fired at the vehicle, deflating the tyres,” he said, adding that the dacoits escaped on foot under the cover of darkness.

Uthappa is from Madikeri.

According to police, a clubhouse is being constructed in the layout. The dacoits had tied up about 20 construction workers and locked them in two rooms before stealing their cell phones and cash.

The gang abandoned the vehicle, which had been loaded with hundreds of centring sheets stolen from the construction site.

The Hebbagodi police have picked up two suspects.