Two boys were arrested by the South division police for allegedly snatching chains to raise ₹30,000 for cricket coaching.
With the first attempt becoming a success, the duo went on to rob 22 people in and around the South division and got valuables worth ₹20 lakh before they were caught by the police on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Naveen Shetty, 19, a resident of Lingarajapuram, and Balaraj, 19, from Kanakadasa Layout.
Naveen had come to Bengaluru after he failed in II PU in Kolar and joined as a salesman in an electronics shop near Richmond Circle. Balaraj was working as a domestic help in a function hall.
The duo would play cricket in a playground in Kariyanapalya on weekends. Naveen wanted to join cricket coaching classes. He went to the Karnataka Institute of Cricket to enquire about the procedure and was asked to pay ₹30,000 as fee and also get a cricket kit.
Unable to arrange the money, the duo approached Sagai, a habitual offender, who suggested chain-snatching to raise the funds and also trained them, police said.
The duo stole a bike from Jayanagar 9th block and used it while targeting people walking alone. They chose weekends, as there was less traffic and they could escape easily, police said.
Following a series of robberies in the South division, police formed a special team who analysed CCTV footage and zeroed in on the duo. A message was flashed across the South division to keep an eye on the suspects. They were stopped by a patrolling team on suspicion. After detailed questioning, the duo confessed to the crimes.