Fake policemen rob Bengaluru realtor; 3 arrested

Bengaluru police have arrested three men who allegedly posed as police officers to rob a real estate businessman. They recovered 429 grams of gold ornaments and ₹10 lakh in cash, collectively valued at ₹52.9 lakh, from the accused.

According to police, the victim, H. Hombalayya (53), is a real estate businessman residing in B.E.L Layout under Byadarahalli police station limits on Magadi Road. He had lodged a complaint on February 16.

Hombalayya stated that, on the day of the crime, he and his wife were at home. In the afternoon, the doorbell rang. When they checked the CCTV camera, they saw a man dressed in a police uniform standing outside the door.

When they opened the door, the man allegedly introduced himself as a police sub-inspector. He sought permission to check the CCTV camera footage in connection with a crime. Soon after entering, he called his accomplice inside. The duo allegedly locked the main door, threatened the couple with a knife, tied their hands, and robbed them of gold ornaments, cash, and two mobile phones before fleeing.

Based on the complaint, the Byadarahalli police registered a robbery case and launched an investigation. During the probe, they found that one of the accused was an acquaintance of the realtor, which helped the gang plan the crime.

Crime while out on parole

Police also learned that a habitual offender had come out on parole from Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi, took part in the robbery, and later returned to the prison. Another accused orchestrated the robbery sitting inside the prison.

Police secured custody of the accused on February 20 and interrogated him, leading to identification and arrest of his accomplices. Acting on their information, police recovered 314 grams of gold from a person in Shivamogga, and 115 grams of gold coins, along with ₹10 lakh cash, from a house at R.R. Nagar in Bengaluru.

The arrested accused have been identified as Nagendra K. (36), a driver from Hassan; Sheikh Ahmed (31), and Babajaan (27), both drivers from Shivamogga.

Past cases

Police said Nagendra is named in 16 criminal cases, including two murder cases. Ahmed is named in 20 cases, including one murder case. Babajaan is named in one case.

Police are probing the source of the police uniform used in the crime, and officials said strict measures will be taken to prevent misuse of police attire. The police suspect the involvements of others in the case, and efforts are on to trace them.