According to the police, Basavaraj Prakash committed at least 10 different burglaries in Bengaluru since 2014, driving down to the city each time.

news Crime Thursday, July 01, 2021 - 12:12
TNM Staff

The Bengaluru police have arrested a 32-year-old man accused in 10 different cases of burglaries reported in the city since 2014. The police said that the accused, Basavaraj Prakash alias Vijay Kumar or Junglee, would drive down to Bengaluru from Hyderabad and burgle houses. Even rising fuel costs didn't seem to be a problem for him, as police said that Prakash was in Bengaluru even last month, to burgle a house. The burglaries took place mostly in Hebbal, HSR Layout, Magadi, and Subramanyapura in the city. Central Crime Branch police arrested the accused at his residence in Hyderabad and seized 1.350 kg of gold ornaments and other stolen articles worth Rs 80 lakh. 

"CCB team led by PI Hazresh arrest house burglary offender..seize 1 Kg 350 gms Gold ornaments & other stolen articles worth Rs 80 lakhs. 10 cases of Hebbal, HSR, Magadi, Subramanyapura, Hebbal detected..has been committing offences since 2014 (sic)," Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, said in a tweet.  

The accused would drive down in a Maruti Brezza or in a Swift car to Bengaluru to burgle houses. Prakash is a native of Bidadi in Ramanagara but he seldom stayed in the same place for more than six months, the police said. He had a passion for used cars and SUVs but he would resell them after using them for a few months to avoid detection by the police, an investigating officer told Times of India. The officer added that he took up small rooms in the outskirts of the city and would roam residential areas looking for houses to target. 

His modus operandi, according to the police, was to burgle houses at midnight, mostly barging into the house by breaking open the main door and stealing gold and silver ornaments. He would then drive off to far away places like Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh on the same night and live there for a few months. 

Between 2014 and 2021, Prakash was arrested 11 times on charges of burglary in Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. His wife and children kept a distance from him since he was in prison often. The accused did not carry a mobile phone and this made it harder for the CCB team to track him. The investigating police said he was spotted on the CCTV footage of a toll plaza which helped them find his hideout in Hyderabad. 

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