BENGALURU: Bike-borne men struck again on Monday and robbed two men in a span of 20 minutes. The incidents were reported from Basaveshwara Nagar and Mahalakshmi Layout.
A gang is at large, zooming around on black Pulsar motorcycles and robbing women of their gold chains, and is suspected to be behind these two incidents as well. Three men on two bikes waylaid 24-year-old Suman, a software company employee, and robbed him of his valuables.
The incident took place around 5.30 am when Suman was waiting for his cab on the Shankarnagar main road. The muggers tried to grab his gold ornaments. When he put up a resistance, they snatched his watch, attacked him with a knife and fled.
Suman raised an alarm and passersby rushed him to a private hospital. Mahalakshmi Layout police are looking at CCTV footage from the neighbourhood.
In the second incident, Vasudeva Naik (44), manager of a nationalised bank, was robbed of his valuables. Around 5 am, three men came on two bikes and waylaid him when he was taking a walk. They threatened him and snatched his money and gold. Basaveshwara Nagar police have registered a case.
Chain-snatcher Critical: A 22-year-old youth who robbed a pharmacy owner of his gold chain on Monday was thrashed by eyewitnesses, and is battling for life.
The incident was reported from Kumbalgodu, on the outskirts of the city. The mugger, identified as Venkatesh, allegedly went to the pharmacy with an accomplice and asked for some pills.
He allegedly diverted the shopkeeper’s attention and snatched the chain around his neck. The pharmacist then screamed for help. Onlookers chased Venkatesh, caught him and thrashed him.
Meanwhile, his accomplice fled. Police said they had admitted Venkatesh to a hospital on Mysore Road. His condition is critical.
“We are trying to gather details of people who thrashed him,” a policeman at the Kumbalagodu station said.
40 Crimes and a Dare
On Monday, the police control room received a call, and a dare. “We are the chain snatchers you are looking for... Catch us if you have the guts,” a caller purportedly said, after dialling 100. When Express contacted the control room, the police claimed they did not have call records. The Pulsar gang is involved in more than 40 incidents of mugging and chain-snatching over the past two weeks. All incidents have taken place in the early hours, with the muggers appearing on two black bikes and speeding away after the crime.