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Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru's 'biggest' gold heist cracked years later after murder case breakthrough: Report
A bold daylight robbery at a prominent Bengaluru jewellery store in 2007 stunned the city. The loot, over 36 kg of gold, vanished without a trace, and despite CCTV footage, investigators struggled for leads. It took a separate murder case in coastal Karnataka, nearly 350 km away, to finally break open what remains one of the city's 'biggest' gold heists, Indian Express reported. According to the report, the incident unfolded on August 11, 2007, at Chemmanur Jewellery showroom in Kammanahalli, one of Bengaluru's busiest neighbourhoods. Around 10.45 am, as employees were unpacking ornaments, a man walked in through the partially opened shutter and pointed a gun at the staff. Five others followed him, each armed, herding the staff into the locker room and seizing their phones. (Also Read: Bengaluru rave party bust: 31 arrested, including Chinese national; most attendees IT professionals) The robbers spoke in a mix of Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, and English as they swiftly looted the counters. They ignored silver items and made no attempt to shut the shop's front shutter. Before fleeing in a grey Indica, they smashed four CCTV cameras, but not before the cameras had already captured most of the heist. The gang got away with more than 36 kg of gold jewellery and ₹3 lakh in cash. At the time, the loot was valued at ₹4 crore; today, it would be worth over ₹34 crore. A retired officer later called it the biggest gold robbery in Bengaluru's history, the report further added. Despite the CCTV footage, investigators couldn't identify the robbers due to limitations in technology. The breakthrough came not from the heist itself, but a murder investigation in Mangaluru. On July 30, 2007, just days before the robbery, real estate businessman Subba Rao was shot dead in the coastal city. While probing the case, police inspector Jayanth Vasudev Shetty received a tip linking Umesh Shetty to the murder. Phone records placed Umesh in both Mangaluru during the murder and in Kammanahalli on the day of the heist. But by then, he had gone off the radar. Investigators turned to his associate, Prakash. In a dramatic move, a woman constable posed as someone romantically interested in him. When Prakash agreed to meet, he was arrested. Through him, police learned Umesh was a cricket and gambling enthusiast, and tracked him down at a local tournament. 'He was portrayed as a don,' Jayanth recalled according to the publication. 'But when we nabbed him, he urinated in his pants.' Umesh's arrest led to the recovery of 5 kg of gold hidden in a fridge at a relative's house. More arrests followed across Chikkamagaluru, Koppa and Hassan, leading to the gang's wider network. The mastermind, Manish Shetty, had served time in Nashik jail, where he befriended other criminals and planned the heist with two Punjab-based accomplices. He was arrested in Coimbatore on September 4, 2007. In all, 17 people were arrested. Though chargesheets were filed, all were released on bail. Manish Shetty, freed in 2015, resurfaced in the underworld and was eventually shot dead outside a Mangaluru bar in 2020, another victim of gang rivalries. Jayanth Shetty, who cracked the case, later became Superintendent of Police and received several honours before retiring in 2015. He now lives in Mangaluru. (Also Read: Bengaluru woman books cab, finds her team lead driving to 'beat boredom')
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Indian Express
A murder, love trap and cricket tournament: how police cracked Bengaluru's ‘biggest' gold heist
Nearly two decades ago, Bengaluru witnessed one of its biggest gold heists, where a whopping 36 kg of gold was stolen at gunpoint from the city. When the investigation did not make much headway, an unrelated murder that took place 350 km away threw up unexpected leads. Despite having CCTV footage, the investigators did not have any leads in this 2007 robbery case until the Dakshina Kannada police broke a web of crimes, leading to the recovery of the gold. It was Saturday, August 11, 2007. In east Bengaluru's bustling Kammanahalli locality, shops had just opened. Around 10.45 am, staff at the Chemmanur Jewellery showroom—one of the city's largest gold outlets at the time—were unpacking ornaments, preparing for the day's sales. Suddenly, a man walked in through the partially open shutter, pointing a gun at the stunned employees. Five accomplices followed, all armed. The robbers herded the staff into the locker room and seized their phones. One stood guard, while the others looted gold jewellery from the counters, speaking in a mix of Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, and English. Oddly, they ignored the silver items and left the shutter door open. Before fleeing in a grey Indica car, they destroyed four CCTV cameras— but not before the cameras recorded most of the heist. They escaped with over 36 kg of gold jewellery and Rs 3 lakh. The stolen gold was valued at Rs 4 crore; today its worth would be over Rs 34 crore. A retired police officer later said it was the biggest heist Bengaluru had ever seen. Then city police commissioner Neelam Achutha Rao and joint commissioner of police (crime) Gopal B Hosur rushed to the scene. The CCTV footage showed the robbers calmly spending nearly 20 minutes inside. With few leads, Neelam Achutha Rao handed the case to the Central Crime Branch (CCB). While the CCTV footage offered limited visibility, technology then was not advanced enough to identify the culprits. Meanwhile, the underworld in Mangaluru was active. Just days before the heist, on July 30, 2007, Subba Rao—the owner of Mayur Builders and Promoters—was shot dead in the coastal city. While the local police registered a murder case, the Anti-Rowdy Squad was assigned the task of nabbing the culprits. Then police inspector Jayanth Vasudev Shetty recalls how an informant tipped him off about Umesh Shetty's possible involvement. Tracking his phone revealed he had been in Mangaluru at the time of Subba Rao's murder—and also in Kammanahalli on the day of the heist. Despite linking Umesh Shetty to both crimes, locating him was tough—he had gone off the radar. Investigators discovered that his close aide was a man named Prakash. 'We devised a risky plan,' recalls Jayanth. 'A woman constable posed as someone who had fallen in love with Prakash. Initially sceptical, he eventually believed her and agreed to meet. When he did, we nabbed him.' Through Prakash, the police learned of Umesh Shetty's love for cricket and gambling. They tracked him to a local tournament and nabbed him. 'He was portrayed as a big don. But when we arrested him, he urinated in his pants,' Jayanth chuckled. Umesh's arrest led to the recovery of 5 kg of gold stored in a refrigerator at a relative's home. The police also arrested Gopala Shetty, 26, Balakrishna Shetty, 40, and his wife Hema, 30, in Chikkamagaluru, Nandish, 24, in Koppa, and Somegowda alias Naga, 31, in Hassan. They recovered most of the stolen gold. But the real mastermind was Manish Shetty. Arrested in 2001 by the Maharashtra police, Manish had served time in Nashik jail, where he befriended several criminals. After release, he hatched the heist plan with two accomplices from Punjab. On September 4, 2007, he was arrested in a hideout in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The CCB eventually arrested 17 people in connection with the heist, naming Manish Shetty as the prime accused. A chargesheet was filed, but all the accused were released on bail. Shetty was freed in 2015 and reportedly reconnected with the underworld. His name surfaced in subsequent coastal crimes. On October 15, 2020, Manish Shetty, 41, was shot dead outside Duet Bar and Restaurant—a victim of underworld rivalry. Jayanth, who served in various ranks, is a recipient of the President's medal, the chief minister's gold medal, and the UN peacekeeping gold medal. In 2015 he retired as a superintendent of police and is living in Mangaluru.
