Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal
Bantwal, Jul 27: A series of thefts in Idkidu village late at night has left residents shaken after thieves allegedly assaulted an elderly retired doctor and snatched his gold chain, while also stealing a two-wheeler from another house.
The victim, K Suryanarayana (79), a retired doctor and resident of Kolpe in Idkidu village, was asleep at his house when unidentified persons allegedly entered the residence late at night.
Awakened by a noise, Suryanarayana got up and found two thieves inside the house. Before he could fully realise what was happening, the intruders allegedly punched him in the stomach. As he bent down in pain, they snatched the gold chain weighing around 20 grams, valued at approximately Rs 2.6 lac, from his neck and escaped through the back door.
It is suspected that the thieves gained entry through an opening left in the wall for ongoing house repair work. Suryanarayana's son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, who were sleeping on the upper floor of the house, were unaware of the incident.
Either before or after the chain-snatching incident, the thieves reportedly went to another nearby house and attempted to steal a two-wheeler. However, they were unable to open its lock and returned.
Later, on Sunday morning, it was discovered that a two-wheeler worth Rs 30,000, belonging to Anand Safalya, a resident of Kodancharapalu in Idkidu, had been stolen from the courtyard of his house.
A dog squad and fingerprint experts visited the scene and conducted an inspection. The sniffer dog picked up the trail from the house where the gold chain was stolen, moved around the courtyard, passed through a plantation, reached the road, and continued up to the vicinity of the place where the two-wheeler had been stolen.
Additional superintendent of police Anil Kumar Bhumareddy, Bantwal deputy superintendent of police Yash Kumar Sharma, Vittal police inspector Prakash Devadiga, and sub-inspector Ramakrishna also visited the spot and inspected the scenes.
Police suspect that both offences were committed by the same group. Cases have been registered at the Vittal police station, and further investigation is underway.