Date:17/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/17/stories/2006081721160300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Woman robbed of gold chain

Staff Reporter

The victim was offered a lift in a car and taken to an isolated place

BANGALORE: On the pretext of giving a lift, a car driver and his accomplice robbed a woman of her gold chain estimated at Rs. 65,000 at knifepoint in Jalahalli police station limits on Tuesday night.

The police said that around 8.45 p.m., Mangala (47), a resident of 11th Cross, Muthyalanagar, was walking to her house from a friend's house in Bandappa Garden.

Two men, travelling by a car, accosted her near J.P. Park and told her that they were her son's friends.

When they offered her a lift in the car, an unsuspecting Ms. Mangala boarded the vehicle.

The two took her to an isolated area on BEL grounds, threatened her with a knife and robbed her of a gold chain, the police said.

On a complaint by Ms. Mangala, the Jalahalli police have registered a case and are investigating .

Houses burgled

Burglars struck at the house of N.R. Ramesh, general manager of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), in Banashankari police station limits early on Wednesday and made away with gold jewellery estimated at Rs. 1.50 lakh.

The police said that when Mr. Ramesh and his family members were asleep, the thieves entered their house on 22nd Cross, 22nd Main, 3rd Stage, Banashankari, by removing a ventilator.

The intruders stole gold jewellery kept in a safe and escaped through the rear door of the house.

Mr. Ramesh, who wake up around 5 a.m., noticed that the rear door was open and thieves had looted the jewellery.

The Banashankari police have registered a case. In another incident, burglars made away with gold jewellery, silver articles and electronic goods, all estimated at Rs. 4 lakh, from a retired ITI employee's house on 4th C Cross, OMBR Layout.

The police said the thieves had entered Pillai's house by breaking open the rear door.

The incident took place on Tuesday night when Mr. Pillai, his son and daughter-in-law, both software engineers, had been to Kerala.

On a complaint by Pillai's relative, Radhakrishna, the Ramamurthynagar police have registered a case.

In a similar incident, thieves broke into Nagaraj's house in Rajagopalanagar police station limits and took away Rs. 10,000 in cash and gold jewellery estimated at Rs. 15,000.

The police said the theft took place at Mr. Nagaraj's house on 9th Cross, I.P. Nagar, in Laggere.

Mr. Nagaraj had left his house on Monday night and returned around 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Shops burgled

Thieves broke open the rolling shutters of three adjoining shops at Freedom Fighters' Colony in Laggere on Tuesday and stole Rs. 4,000 in cash and saris estimated at Rs. 8,000.

The police said the thieves had burgled a textiles showroom, an electrical equipment shop and a ceramic tiles shop. On a complaint by Mahesh of textiles shop, the Rajagopalanagar police have registered a case.