Clothes worth Rs 3.5 lakh were stolen from a roadside cart in Vijayanagar, where the shopkeeper covered them with a tarpaulin and left them tied to a table.
Police took up a case a week after the incident and have launched a manhunt to nab the thieves.
A complaint filed by Saddam Hussain, a 25-year-old resident of Padarayanapura, stated that the theft happened on the midnight of May 6. Hussain sells women’s ware on a roadside cart on 16th Main service road, less than half a kilometre from the police station.
Hussain would display the clothes on a table for sale and, after business hours, would cover them with a tarpaulin and tie a rope over them.
On May 6, he closed the cart and went home around 11 pm. He returned to the spot around 9.15 am the next day and found that thieves had untied the ropes to the table and stolen clothes, including churidars and dupattas.
Hussain said he had stocked up more clothes on Saturday as business is more on Sundays. Although he approached the police, he could not get proper assistance due to the elections. Police registered the FIR on May 14.
CCTV footage showed the thieves arriving in a mini goods vehicle and a two-wheeler. The man on the bike watched the public, while his associates took away the clothes.
Police said the thieves must have observed Hussain leaving the clothes on the table.
Published 16 May 2023, 20:28 IST