3 min readBengaluruOct 1, 2025 07:36 PM IST
First published on: Oct 1, 2025 at 04:21 PM IST
The theft of an AirPod has helped the Karnataka Police arrest a four-member burglary gang, including a woman, near Bengaluru, hours after the criminals executed their second house break-in.
The arrested have been identified as Purushottam M, 22, Darshan, 20, Chandru, 24, and Saubhagya B H, 24, all residents of Davangere who shared a common tattoo, the police said on Wednesday.
According to the police, they traced the accused to an apartment in Kudlu soon after the second theft, as one of the thieves started using a stolen AirPods, alerting its owner.
In the first theft in Palana Jogihalli, the thieves stole 113 grams of gold from Divya Sri’s residence on the intervening night of September 16 and 17. The criminals had also taken away her AirPods before fleeing.
On September 21, they broke into the house of one Bhavya C and stole her gold earrings, the police said.
“The thieves were caught after Purushottam started using the AirPods, which alerted Divya. She immediately informed the police,” said an officer.
(Express Photo)
According to the Dhoddaballapura rural police, the gang has been operating for years, with each member having at least 10 cases against them.
“Purushottam had a murder case when he was a minor. While the accused have done their elementary school, Darshan is a BBA graduate. Purushottam, Darshan, and Chandru, who were previously arrested by the Tumakuru police, had come out on bail with the help of Saubhagya,” the officer said.
“All of them have tattoos on their chests that read ‘Teach Peace’ and ‘313’ on their right hands. After being released from jail, they took an apartment on rent in Electronics City from which they carried out their operations. Their plans were very simple. They would arrive at the railway station, board a train heading out of Bengaluru, switch off their internet and start searching for isolated houses in the area,” a police officer said.
The burglary occurred at Divya’s house when she went to her mother’s house after finishing her night shift. “Typically, the victims report only missing valuable items like gold and silver. However, we thoroughly inquired with her to see if any smaller items were missing, which led her to mention the AirPods. We did not anticipate that the accused would actually use them,” a police officer said.
The accused were remanded in judicial custody, he said.
What does 313 indicate?
The number 313 holds different significance in various religions. In Islam, it represents the number of soldiers who accompanied the Prophet Muhammad. In numerology, it is considered to be a sign of good news attained through the right path. In Buddhism, it is regarded as divine, and symbolises enlightenment.
The accused (from left) Purushottam, Chandru, Darshan and Saubhagya, all members of the same gang were arrested in Bengaluru (Express Photo) 
(Express Photo)
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