Siddarth Sethia
The city police have cautioned motorists against the activities of attention diversion gangs after two separate theft cases were reported under Sadashivanagar police station limits,where unsuspecting victims lost expensive mobile phones while travelling in their cars.
In the first incident,a private firm employee,was driving towards his workplace on Bellary Road on the morning of June 12 when he became the target of an attention diversion theft.
According to the complaint,at around 10.16 am,while passing near the Four Seasons Hotel,two unidentified men approached his car and gestured towards the front wheel, claiming there was a problem with the vehicle.
As Vishak lowered his guard and checked the alleged issue, one of the suspects allegedly distracted him while the other stole his iPhone 15 Plus kept on the front seat of the car. The stolen phone is valued at approximately ₹1 lakh,police said.
In another similar case,a businesswoman,was travelling towards Hebbal when she was targeted by an attention diversion gang.
She told police that while driving near Goshala Road,an unidentified man repeatedly knocked on one side of her car window,prompting her to open it.
Simultaneously,another suspect approached from the opposite side and engaged her in conversation.
Taking advantage of the distraction,the accused allegedly stole her mobile phone kept inside the vehicle before fleeing the scene.The stolen mobile phone is valued at around Rs.1.5 lakh.
Police have registered cases in both incidents and launched efforts to identify and trace the suspects using CCTV footage from the area we have some clues working on to identify the accused “a senior officer, said .
The police have advised motorists not to lower their windows or step out of their vehicles when approached by strangers claiming there is a problem with their car.
Drivers are urged to move to a safe and crowded location before inspecting any alleged issue and to keep valuables out of sight while travelling.Further investigation is underway.
