Lockdown: Burglars strike at Bengaluru bars, steal alcohol worth Rs 3 lakh

Amid the lockdown, alcohol continues to be in high demand. Liquor bottles are being sold up to 10 times the maximum retail price (MRP) in the black market.

The demand has prompted miscreants to steal liquor from closed bars and restaurants. They recently targeted two shops in Kempegowda Nagar and Madiwala. A complaint filed by C Prasanna (60), owner of Trimurthy Bar and Restaurant in Kempegowda Nagar, stated that he received a call from residents near the bar at 3.30 am on Friday, saying they heard noises from inside the shop.

Entry through terrace 

Prasanna, who resides in Girinagar, rushed to the place and found the seal intact. But he later found that the miscreants had climbed on to the adjacent building, jumped to the terrace of the bar and entered inside through the ventilator. They had broken the counter gate and stolen the liquor. He said he would inform the police about the actual loss after estimating the number of stolen bottles.

In the other incident, criminals stole liquor worth Rs 2.9 lakh from Netravathi Bar and Restaurant in the Old Madiwala area. Narayana (40), owner of the bar, filed a complaint with the police, stating that local residents called him around 10 am on April 23 and informed that the bar’s window was open. He rushed to the spot and found that thieves had entered the bar from the back door and made away with 433 liquor bottles. They might have kept the window open for ventilation or to watch the movement of neighbours or police.

The jurisdictional police have taken up two different cases on the incidents.