JOIN USFear stalks the edges of Bangalore
A few, especially those working in software firms, are packing off, reluctant to return, as gangs of men are roaming the area at night, terrorising and robbing families.
A few cases are reported. Many are not, due to fear of retribution. But recently, a few victims got together and have garnered courage to bell the cat.
On Tuesday, Deccan Herald caught up with a few residents of South Avenue, Gottigere, who admitted to have faced threats from gangs.
Days earlier, a four-member gang barged into a Wipro staffer's house, threatened and walked away with lakhs of worth valuables. The gang snatched the debit/credit cards and its pin numbers.
Interestingly, the gang members stayed in the house for more than 45 minutes, while one of them went out and withdrew money from an ATM using the stolen cards. Later, the gang demanded the family for keys to the car and drove away the four-wheeler.
Horrifying scenes
The Wipro staffer narrated the horrifying scenes: “On Friday night around 10.20 pm, I was setting out to Majestic KSRTC bus stand as my wife, an officer with a nationalised bank was arriving from Tumkur. Four masked men barged in and locked the door from inside. One of them stood guard outside while the other three, armed with longs and daggers, disconnected land line telephones and removed the cell phone batteries. They ordered not to scream or act smart. Two of them kept a long dagger near my neck and warned: “We are merciless. Co-operate and you will not be harmed.”
“While one of them kept boasting about their criminal career instilling fear in us, others ransacked the house and picked up valuables. My mother-in-law’s mangalya chain was forcibly removed. After taking the chain, they returned the mangalya. The gang were in no hurry, they checked every cupboards and wardrobes.”
“In their mid 20s, they conversed in Urdu mixed Hindi and Kannada. The gang leader spoke in broken English.”
“They asked for the car keys. Before leaving, they told me that they would leave the car at the end of the layout and would leave the keys on top of the right side tyre.” The man’s wife got stuck at the bus stand as she was unable to contact home.
After hours of silence in fear, the family managed to draw the attention of security guards who helped them to unlatch the main door from outside.
According to senior officer, more than half-a-dozen such cases are registered in a day at Hulimavu police station. There is shortage of both men and machinery and night patrolling is a major problem. The terrain demands more deployment. Meanwhile, even the Hulimavu station policemen are yet to familiarise with their jurisdiction boundaries.