6 members of Irani gang arrested for theft in Bengaluru, 13 cases cracked

Bengaluru: The Kodigehalli police in northeastern Bengaluru have arrested six members of the Irani gang while investigating two cases of chain snatching and house theft, officials said on Tuesday.

The arrested have been identified as Ali Siraj, 51, Sadiq, 40, Rafiq, 40, Abbas Ali, 27, Abu Turab, 55, Tabrej Ali, 35, and Madhush, 45.

The suspects, hailing from different parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, would allegedly enter Bengaluru to carry out crimes, the police stated.

The arrests stem from investigations into two incidents: a house theft on March 30, 2024, where 30 grams of gold ornaments and two silver lamps were stolen, and a chain snatching on November 11, where a 30-gram gold chain was taken from a victim returning from a temple visit.

The breakthrough came on December 23 when the Kodigehalli police arrested one suspect in Kolar.

During questioning, he confessed to his involvement in the chain-snatching case and provided information about the other gang members.

Following this, the police arrested the remaining suspects, two of whom were already lodged in the Tumakuru district jail for other offences. These people also admitted to their roles in the chain-snatching and house-theft cases, the police said.

With these arrests, the police have managed to solve 13 cases across various police stations in Bengaluru. They have recovered gold ornaments weighing 450 grams, valued at Rs 28.50 lakh.