Siddarth Sethia
The Byadarahalli police have arrested three men who allegedly posed as police officers and robbed a real estate businessman at his residence.
Police recovered 429 grams of gold ornaments and ₹10 lakh in cash,collectively valued at ₹52.9 lakh, from the accused.
Senior officer told reporters that the victim H. Hombalayya (53),a real estate businessman residing in B.E.L Layout under Byadarahalli police station limits on Magadi Road,lodged a complaint on February 16, 2026.
Hombalayya stated that on the afternoon of the day, while he and his wife were at home,the doorbell rang.
When they checked the CCTV footage,they saw a man dressed in a police uniform standing outside.Believing him to be a genuine officer,they opened the door.
The man allegedly introduced himself as a police sub-inspector and claimed he needed to check the house CCTV in connection with a case.Soon after entering,he called another accomplice inside.
The duo allegedly locked the main door,threatened the couple with a knife,tied their hands and robbed them of gold ornaments,cash and two mobile phones before fleeing.
Based on the complaint,the Byadarahalli police registered a robbery case and launched an investigation.
During the probe,officers found that one of the accused was an acquaintance of the realtor and the house owner, which helped the gang plan the crime.
A detailed investigation by the team it was learned that one of the habitual offenders had come out on parole from Hindalga Central Prison in Belagavi,committed the robbery and later returned to the prison after the offence.
Police secured custody of the accused on February 20 and interrogated him,leading to the identification and arrest of the other accomplices.
Acting on their information,police recovered 314 grams of gold from a friend in Shivamogga and 115 grams of gold coins along with Rs 10 lakh cash from a house in R.R. Nagar.
In total,429 grams of gold ornaments and ₹10 lakh cash, valued at about ₹ 52.9 lakh,were recovered.
The arrested accused have been identified as Nagendra K (36), a driver from Hassan, Sheikh Ahmed (31) and Babajaan (27), both drivers from Shivamogga.
Police said Nagendra has 16 previous criminal cases against him, including two murder cases,while Ahmed has 20 cases, including one murder case, and Babajaan has one case registered against him.
Police are now probing the source of the police uniform used in the crime, and officials said strict measures will be taken to prevent misuse of police attire.Investigation is continuing.
