Three engineering students arrested for robbing travellers on Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway
Mandya: In a disturbing case of crime fuelled by addiction to online betting and a lavish lifestyle, Mandya Police have busted a highway robbery gang led by engineering students from Bengaluru.
Three engineering students — Kiran, Kushal Babu and Gokul — have been arrested for luring bus passengers into cars, threatening them mid-route and robbing them to fund their online betting habits.
While Kiran and Kushal Babu are seventh semester students at a reputed engineering college in Bengaluru, Gokul, also an engineering student, is the brother of another student from the same institution.
They were produced in the Court on Wednesday and cases were registered against them at two Police Stations. They have been sent to judicial custody and the Police suspect the trio has been operating since last month.
Hailing from well-off families — two from Kolar and one from Bengaluru — the trio reportedly turned to crime to sustain their addictions to online betting and associated vices. Apart from stealing cash, mobiles and jewellery, they allegedly forced victims to make UPI transfers to betting apps.
Modus operandi
The gang operated near Kengeri Bus Stand, preying on commuters waiting for buses to Mandya or Mysuru. With crowded or delayed buses prompting many passengers to opt for shared car rides at bus-fare rates, the students exploited this practice.
Using an out-of-State car to avoid suspicion, one would pose as the driver while the other two acted as passengers. Police said that they used a rented car bearing a non-Karnataka registration number to target passengers waiting near Kengeri and Mysuru bus stands.
Once on the Mysuru-Bengaluru National Highway 275 via Bidadi and Ramanagara, the car would exit near Thoobinakere-Karighatta in Mandya. If questioned, the ‘driver’ claimed he was avoiding tolls.
In isolated stretches, passengers were suddenly threatened with ropes around their necks & robbed of cash, valuables and forced to make cash transfers through UPI. Victims were then abandoned on the roadside.
Nov. 4 robbery
One such incident took place on Nov. 4, when Abdul Jaleel of Virajpet boarded a yellow-board car near Kengeri. After taking the Thoobinakere exit, he questioned the route, only to be told it was a toll-avoidance detour.
In a deserted area, Abdul was assaulted, forced to transfer money to an IPL betting app, robbed of Rs. 4,000 and his phone and then thrown out of the vehicle. With the help of residents and the highway patrol, Jaleel managed to reach the Mandya Rural Police Station, where he filed the complaint. Soon, information surfaced about another victim, Yatindra from Mysuru, robbed using the same modus operandi.
Realising the systematic targeting of passengers, Mandya Police formed three special teams led by Dy. SP Lakshminarayana, with officers Shivaprasad, Prakash and Sheshadri coordinating the investigation.
Their concerted efforts led to the arrest of the trio, effectively putting an end to the students’ organised highway robbery racket. Police have advised commuters not to accept offers for rides from strangers.
