Daijiworld Media Network – Chikkamagaluru

Chikkamagaluru, Jul 11: In a crime that sounds straight out of a thriller, three chain-snatchers who took online ‘training’ from Google to learn how to commit thefts and escape without getting caught were arrested by police here.

The gang — identified as Kallesh, Raju, and Basavaraj, all from Yavakanamaradi village in Belagavi district — had arrived in Kadur in search of work. Strapped for cash ahead of the festival season, they turned to Google to learn how to commit thefts and make a clean getaway.

They searched for phrases like ‘how to steal’ and ‘how to escape without getting caught’ and chalked out their plan accordingly. The gang then went on a chain-snatching spree, targeting three women in three different police station limits — Kadur, Birur, and Singatagere — all within the span of an hour.

The trio specifically targeted women wearing gold mangalasutras. Their tactic: ride up on a bike, throw chilli powder into the victim’s eyes, snatch the jewellery, and flee. They used a Pulsar bike for the thefts.

To dodge CCTV tracking, they changed their clothes three times during the operation. After completing the thefts, they tried to destroy evidence by dumping the bike into a well.

Despite their efforts, CCTV footage captured them in action — including clear visuals of them changing clothes near a wine shop, which helped the police crack the case.

The Birur police arrested the trio from their village in Belagavi and recovered 68 grams of stolen gold and the bike used in the crime. The case has drawn widespread attention due to the gang’s unusual reliance on Google to plot their thefts.

Police praised the sharp use of CCTV surveillance and swift coordination that led to the arrest, putting an end to the gang’s short-lived criminal career.