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The jewellery stolen by Mohammed Hussain (inset) from a store in Cottonpet. DH photo
Quick thinking by a bus driver helped the police arrest a man who reportedly pulled off an ingenious burglary at a jewellery store on Cottonpet Main Road, western Bengaluru, on Sunday morning.
Mohammed Hussain (32), who has a criminal record, was apprehended by a team of Bengaluru policemen from Kittur, Belagavi district, within 12 hours of a case being registered over the burglary at Kanchan Jewellers.
On June 19, Hussain had checked into Platinum Lodge, which is located on the first floor of the building that has the jewellery store on the ground floor. In the early hours of Sunday, he drilled a 1.5-foot-wide hole into the floor of room number 102 which is located right above the jewellery store. He slid into the hole and down into the store to steal 1.3 kg of gold and 14 kg of silver articles. With the job done, he fled from the spot. This was around 7 am on Sunday.
Solving the burglary was a no-brainer for police as the suspect had left behind enough clues. CCTV cameras installed in the lodge had recorded his movements. Crucially, police learnt that Hussain was not a resident of Bengaluru. They then circulated his photographs on WhatsApp groups, seeking information from the crews of state-run and private buses. The major breakthrough came when the driver of a Mumbai-bound bus called up the police to inform that the suspect resembled a passenger in his vehicle. But the passenger had shaved his head.
Based on the tip-off, a team of policemen led by Kamakshipalya police inspector M R Harish started tracing the bus and caught up with it in Kittur where the driver had pulled into a roadside eatery. A police source said Hussain had planned to go to Mumbai and thence to Ahmedabad to dispose of the valuables.
“The stolen articles — 1.3-kg gold and 14-kg silver — have been fully recovered from the suspect,” DCP (West) M N Anucheth said. “The jewellery store owner claimed that 3 kg of gold was stolen. If we find out that he lied to us, we will take legal action against him as well.”
The burglary idea struck Hussain when he was having tea at a stall near the jewellery store.Accordingly, he checked into the lodge on June 19 and booked room number 101. But he realised soon after that drilling through the room will not take him to the jewellery store. He then asked the hotel staff for a bigger room and moved into room number 102. He used the drilling machines late at night and never wanted the hotel staff to clean his room.
The police source said Hussain had run away from his home and moved to Kalaburagi. He had stolen Rs 15 lakh and 300 grams of gold from a co-operative society in Belagavi. He used the money to marry his sister off. He used a part of the money to open a tea stall. He also has a criminal case against him in Mangaluru.
Mohammed Hussain (32), who has a criminal record, was apprehended by a team of Bengaluru policemen from Kittur, Belagavi district, within 12 hours of a case being registered over the burglary at Kanchan Jewellers.
On June 19, Hussain had checked into Platinum Lodge, which is located on the first floor of the building that has the jewellery store on the ground floor. In the early hours of Sunday, he drilled a 1.5-foot-wide hole into the floor of room number 102 which is located right above the jewellery store. He slid into the hole and down into the store to steal 1.3 kg of gold and 14 kg of silver articles. With the job done, he fled from the spot. This was around 7 am on Sunday.
Solving the burglary was a no-brainer for police as the suspect had left behind enough clues. CCTV cameras installed in the lodge had recorded his movements. Crucially, police learnt that Hussain was not a resident of Bengaluru. They then circulated his photographs on WhatsApp groups, seeking information from the crews of state-run and private buses. The major breakthrough came when the driver of a Mumbai-bound bus called up the police to inform that the suspect resembled a passenger in his vehicle. But the passenger had shaved his head.
Based on the tip-off, a team of policemen led by Kamakshipalya police inspector M R Harish started tracing the bus and caught up with it in Kittur where the driver had pulled into a roadside eatery. A police source said Hussain had planned to go to Mumbai and thence to Ahmedabad to dispose of the valuables.
“The stolen articles — 1.3-kg gold and 14-kg silver — have been fully recovered from the suspect,” DCP (West) M N Anucheth said. “The jewellery store owner claimed that 3 kg of gold was stolen. If we find out that he lied to us, we will take legal action against him as well.”
The burglary idea struck Hussain when he was having tea at a stall near the jewellery store.Accordingly, he checked into the lodge on June 19 and booked room number 101. But he realised soon after that drilling through the room will not take him to the jewellery store. He then asked the hotel staff for a bigger room and moved into room number 102. He used the drilling machines late at night and never wanted the hotel staff to clean his room.
The police source said Hussain had run away from his home and moved to Kalaburagi. He had stolen Rs 15 lakh and 300 grams of gold from a co-operative society in Belagavi. He used the money to marry his sister off. He used a part of the money to open a tea stall. He also has a criminal case against him in Mangaluru.
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