BENGALURU: A 28-year-old habitual offender was shot dead by a security guard at the under-construction residence of a JD(S) leader. The incident took place in Nagarabhavi 1st Stage near the BDA Complex in the late hours on Thursday.
The deceased has been identified as Bettaiah, a native of Gubbi in Tumakuru. The residence belongs to T N Javaregowda, a JD(S) member from Yeshwanthpur.
Police said that around 2.30 am Bettaiah, along with two of his associates, sneaked into the building to steal iron rods and electrical material that were stored in one of the rooms. Security guard Mohan Kumar (25), on hearing some noise, went to see what was happening. He found some people pulling out the materials and raised an alarm.
On seeing Kumar, the accused ran towards him to attack him with a blunt weapon. In self-defence, Mohan shot him with his single-barrel gun.Bettaiah’s two associates fled from the scene after he collapsed.
After the shooting, Mohan immediately contacted Javaregowda’s elder son and narrated the incident. Kamakshipalya police rushed to the spot and shifted the body for
post-mortem and conducted spot mahazar. Later, Mohan was questioned and based on his statement, police filed a case against the accused gang on charges of attempt to
robbery and assault.
Speaking to Express, Mohan said, “I raised an alarm when they were trying to break open the door of a room where electrical items were kept. I warned them twice before opening fire and one of them tried to hit me with a wooden log. In self defence, I shot him and the bullet hit his body. They barged into the premises after breaking opening the temporary gate on the rear side. Two others jumped the gate and escaped from the spot.”
According to police, Bettaiah, a daily wage worker, had come to the city a few years ago. He and his gang were earlier caught by locals for committing burglary. When police enquired with his relatives, they came to know that he stayed at his aunt’s house in Malagala and worked in a dairy farm.
A senior police officer said, “We have collected Bettaiah’s fingerprints to ascertain his involvement in previous cases. Also, we have asked more details from the Tumakuru police to find whether he had any criminal history. We suspect that the accused had come in a vehicle to load the materials. The CCTV footage has been obtained to ascertain the movement of the vehicle.”
“The gang might have planned well in advance to steal the materials, including air-conditioners. We have clues about the other accused involved in the crime and efforts are on to nab them,” the officer added.