Cab robbery: 6 from Mysuru among 8 held

Gang used 4 minor girls from Mysuru for dacoities

Mysuru/Bengaluru: Bidadi Police have arrested a gang of eight habitual offenders — including four minor girls in conflict with the law — for assaulting a cab owner and robbing his vehicle. Two of the arrested men and four minor girls are from Mysuru.

The arrests were made on Nov. 22 and the Police have seized stolen property worth around Rs. 16 lakh, including three cars, six two-wheelers, one autorickshaw and the weapons used in the crime.

The accused have been identified as Saddam Hussain from Siddhartha Layout, Mysuru and currently residing at Kavalande in Nanjangud taluk; Shiva Prasad, a resident of Kurubarahalli in Mysuru; Khabir alias Kaalu, of Padarayanapura in Bengaluru and Yashwanth Kumar from Ballari. The four men have been remanded to judicial custody while the minor girls have been sent to the State Home for Girls in Bengaluru.

On the night of Nov. 18, four boys and four girls booked a cab owned by Swamy Gowda, 39, from Bengaluru to Joganapalya village in Bidadi. The group initially booked the cab to the airport but cancelled midway and directed him instead to a farmhouse in Bidadi.

When the vehicle reached Bannigiri Road, an isolated stretch within Bidadi Police Station limits, the gang assaulted the cab driver with iron rods and fled with his vehicle.

Based on the driver’s complaint, a case was registered at Bidadi Police Station (Crime No. 273/2025) under Sections 310(2) and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police said the men took the girls along for a ‘jolly drive’ and carried out the crime together. After the attack, they drove the stolen car towards Mysuru. CCTV footage from toll plazas and other checkpoints helped the Police trace and arrest the gang.

10 cases of dacoity and extortion

Police further stated that around five to six months ago, the four men had come into contact with the minor girls, who were begging near the City Railway Station and Nazarbad in Mysuru.

The men lured the girls with promises of relationships, travel and money. The girls, enticed by these assurances, joined them and together they planned robberies, eventually becoming involved in more than 10 cases of dacoity and extortion.

During interrogation, the accused admitted to committing thefts and robberies across Bidadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna, Malavalli, Shivamogga and Srirangapatna.

With these arrests, Bidadi Police have successfully solved 10 pending cases.

Bengaluru South Superintendent of Police R. Srinivas Gowda appreciated the swift action and coordination of the team, which included Additional SPs Ramachandra and Rajendra, Dy.SP Srinivas, Inspector Shankar Nayak, and Sub-Inspectors Krishnamurthy and Nagaraju.

Mysuru cab driver robbed in Bengaluru

It may be recalled here that on Nov. 14, the Bengaluru Police arrested a 38-year-old man for robbing a cab driver at knifepoint in north Bengaluru. The accused, Manzoor Abdul Basith alias Dhoond, a resident of Shivajinagar, was arrested based on a complaint filed by K.V. Pradeep, 29, from Mysuru.

Manzoor approached Pradeep near the Mysuru Sub-Urban Bus Stand and booked a trip to Shivajinagar in Bengaluru for Rs. 3,000. They reached Shivajinagar around 9.30 pm, when Manzoor asked to be driven further to Thanisandra, claiming his sister lived there. Pradeep agreed after informing him of the extra fare.

At a dimly lit spot in Thanisandra, Manzoor asked Pradeep to stop, pulled out a knife and attacked him. He then pushed Pradeep onto the road and fled with the cab, Rs. 3,000 in cash and a mobile phone. Police traced the vehicle and arrested Manzoor on Nov. 15. The cab and stolen phone were recovered.