Stolen phone helps Bengaluru police crack Rs 98-lakh jewellery store burglary, 3 arrested
All three accused have been placed in judicial custody, and further investigation is ongoing to determine their involvement in other similar burglaries.
The police with the recovered jewellery (Express photo/Special arrangement). A stolen mobile phone and subsequent technical analysis proved to be the key breakthrough in cracking the Bagalagunte jewellery shop burglary case, which initially left the Bengaluru police with no leads due to the absence of CCTV coverage in the lane behind the shop, officers said.
The city police have arrested three accused in connection with the theft of silver articles worth Rs 98.39 lakh from a jewellery store on Hesaraghatta Main Road in Bagalagunte.
The case was reported on April 28 after the shop owner, a resident of Gokul 1st Stage, Yeshwanthpur, found that the rear wall of his shop had been broken into and around 70 kg of silver articles had been stolen. An adjoining ceramics shop was also targeted, with the accused stealing a laptop, mobile phone, DVR and other items.
The police said the absence of CCTV footage from the rear lane initially stalled the investigation, forcing multiple teams to rely on local enquiries and technical inputs. The turning point came when investigators traced the mobile phone stolen from the ceramics shop, which helped establish crucial digital and location-based leads about the suspects.
Using the technical trail, including intelligence inputs, the police identified the accused’s movement outside Karnataka. Based on these leads, two suspects, Suresh, 29, and Dhanram, 30, were arrested in Raipur, Rajasthan.
During interrogation, the duo allegedly confessed to their involvement and named a third associate. Acting on their disclosures, police later tracked and arrested Nemichand Patel, 27, from Dasanapura in Nelamangala. He was also taken into custody and questioned, during which he allegedly admitted to his role in the offence.
Investigators said the stolen silver was quickly moved and disposed of through an interstate network, with portions allegedly pledged at jewellery shops in Kulkacharla Mandal in Telangana, kept at a local residence, and also pledged at shops on Mahakali Temple Road in Secunderabad.
Based on the accused’s disclosures, the police conducted coordinated searches between May 12 and May 25, recovering 35 kg, 874 grams of silver articles and ingots from multiple locations. The recovered property is valued at Rs 98.39 lakh, officers said.
The police had earlier said the accused gained entry into the jewellery shop by breaking open the rear wall with hammers and other tools. The damage suggested the wall may have been weakened over time before it finally gave way.
Investigators suspect the offenders repeatedly attempted to breach the structure over several weeks to create an opening large enough for entry. Sources also said that after entering and committing the theft, the accused allegedly locked the shop from the inside before exiting, apparently to delay detection and buy more time to escape with the stolen silver and other valuables.
“Preliminary investigation indicated that the rear wall was systematically weakened and broken open using tools, and the accused may have also locked the premises from inside after the offence to mislead immediate detection,” a police officer said.
All three accused have been remanded to judicial custody, and further investigation is underway to check their involvement in other similar burglaries, the police added.
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