

BENGALURU: Two miscreants who were stealing branded shoes for the last seven years from apartment complexes and temples were arrested by the Vidyaranyapura police. The accused had stolen more than 10,000 pairs of shoes. When the police visited their house after arresting them, they were shocked to find around 715 pairs of branded shoes, and accordingly recovered Rs 10 lakh worth of shoes, along with other items.
The accused, identified as Gangadhar and Yellappa, were selling the stolen shoes in Ooty, Puducherry and other tourism hubs. They also used Sunday bazaars to sell the stolen shoes.
The accused would travel in an auto rickshaw at night and target homes and temples. After stealing the shoes, the duo would clean and sell them for cheap.
They had stolen shoes and two gas cylinders from a house in BEL Layout in Vidyaranyapura. The house owner filed a complaint on Monday. The police checked CCTV footage from the vicinity and got details of the auto used for the theft. The accused were traced and arrested on Wednesday.