Even as Bengaluru reels from a daring heist in which men posing as RBI officials escaped with over Rs 7 crore in cash, a major gold robbery has now been reported from Hubballi. Five unidentified men, impersonating Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, allegedly kidnapped two gold traders and fled with jewellery worth Rs 3.02 crore and Rs 2 lakh in cash.
According to the complaint , the victim who is a gold ornament supplier regularly travels across districts showing gold samples to jewellery shops and collecting orders. He and his employee, Vivek, were carrying around 3 kg of gold ornaments including chains, bracelets, rings, earrings, bangles and lockets, valued at over Rs 3 crore.
The duo began their journey from Mangaluru on November 15, 2025, and travelled across multiple cities for business. On November 16, they met local jewellers in Belagavi, followed by visits to Gokak and Dharwad on November 17 to take orders from shops. They then reached Hubballi, where they stayed at Renuka Lodge near Chennamma Circle, and on November 18, met more jewellers.
The next day, they returned to Dharwad to collect additional orders where between 3:10 and 3:15 PM, five men stopped them, introduced themselves in Hindi as ED officials, and even showed an ID card. They told the traders they needed to "check" them and forced both into a grey Maruti Ertiga car waiting nearby.
Inside the vehicle, the suspects accused them of smuggling, seized their mobile phones and SIM cards, took their purses, and snatched the bag of jewellery from Vivek.
When the complainant questioned the location of the ED office, the gang allegedly slapped and threatened both men, asking them to stay quiet. The car then sped toward Dharwad.
Near Kittur, at around 4:10 PM, the gang dropped Vivek off, claiming they would "call him later". They then drove with the complainant towards Hubballi.
Around 4:30 PM near MK Hubballi, the suspects pulled over, pushed the complainant out of the car, and fled with Rs 3 crore worth of jewellery along with Rs 2 lakh cash.
Both men later approached the police, who have registered a case and launched an investigation to identify and track the suspects.
