Jayanagar police have arrested three notorious burglars for stealing over 1 kilogram of gold along with other valuables from the residence of political party functionary TS Vasanth Kumar Bhavani in Jayanagar 5th Block.
The accused—Raghu alias Pepsi Raghu (25) from Raghuvanahalli, Jai Deepa alias Jangli (25) from Nayandahalli, and Mithun alias Milky (24) from Tyagarajanagar—have a history of more than 11 cases. Raghu leads the gang responsible for this high-value burglary.
The theft occurred on July 20 when Vasanth left his home at around 4:30 pm to drop his son at the airport. Returning around 8 pm, the family found the front door ajar and multiple almirahs open. Valuables worth approximately Rs1 crore, including over 1 kg of gold ornaments, silverware, a wristwatch worth Rs3 lakh, and Rs50,000 in cash, were missing.
Police Inspector Deepak R and his team launched an investigation using CCTV footage, which helped them track down the burglars in the Turahalli forest area on July 22, recovering 1 kg of gold ornaments and other stolen property worth Rs78.5 lakh. Some stolen gold (50 grams) was already given away by the gang.
Interrogation revealed the gang used a stolen scooter, taken three months ago from Basavanagudi, to scout and visit target homes. They typically identify houses with gardens during the day and commit burglaries at night to avoid detection.
The gang operates mainly in south Bengaluru areas like Banashankari, Konankunte, JP Nagar, and Subramanyapura. The stolen loot funds their lavish lifestyle, police said.
