Karnataka Jewellery Shop Looted Using Chilli Powder, 4 Arrested After Drone Search

Police arrested four interstate robbers within hours after they carried out a daytime robbery at a highway-side jewellery shop in Karnataka's Tumakuru district. The gang, which had reportedly been in the area for a few days, threw chilli powder on the staff before escaping with gold and silver ornaments.

The accused, Aravind, Dungar Singh, Mahendra Singh and Madhu Singh, all from Rajasthan, targeted Jagadamba Jewellery Shop after arriving in a Bolero vehicle on February 21.

Police said the men entered the shop, threw chilli powder to overpower those present, closed the shutter and carried out the robbery. They also assaulted shop owner Dinesh and his grandmother before escaping.

The gang fled with around 100 grams of gold, 1.5 kg of silver ornaments and other valuables worth nearly Rs 26 lakh. The robbery took around ten minutes.

Following a complaint, police quickly began an operation based on the vehicle details. Teams tracked the suspects to the Huyilu Dore forest area, where the robbers had tried to hide. The forest was surrounded, and drones were used for surveillance. All four accused were arrested, and the stolen jewellery was fully recovered.

Tumakuru Superintendent of Police Ashok KV said, "After the accused made their escape, we were immediately informed. We alerted all our teams and created checkpoints across multiple districts. When they could not move further, they escaped into a forest area. Police surrounded the entire forest, deployed drones for surveillance and successfully apprehended the accused."

A case has been registered at the police station, and further investigation is underway.