Unidentified men threw itching powder on a retired security guard and stole Rs 4 lakh cash from the boot space of his scooter on KG Road.

Chandra Chinnaiah retired a few months ago as a security guard of a BMTC depot. He withdrew his savings from Vijaya Bank KG Road branch on Wednesday to pay for house construction and was carrying the money home on the boot space of his scooter.

Chinnaiah felt itching in the neck and stopped the scooter. He rushed to the public tap to wash his shirt. Returning to his scooter, he noticed the boot space was open and the bag with cash, cheque book and passbook was missing.

Chinnaiah lodged a complaint with the Wilson Garden police who are verifying CCTV camera footage in the surrounding areas.

Police suspect involvement of a gang from Andhra Pradesh that use a similar method of throwing itching powder on their victims to divert attention and make away with their valuables.