Bengaluru: A 20-tonne weighing excavator, over and valued at Rs 30 lakh, mysteriously disappeared from the City Civil Court Complex near Mysore Bank Circle earlier this month. Govindaraju BV, 40, from Munireddy Layout in Doddanagamangala, Electronics City, was shocked when he discovered the machine missing on July 9.
Govindaraju deployed his Volvo Crawler EC210D excavator on June 30 to dig a pit for a lift installation on the court premises. Due to rain interruptions, the machine was left on-site. After fruitless inquiries, he complained to the Halasuru Gate police. Contractor Sangamesh had hired the excavator for the lift project.
Govindaraju also informed the court registrar about the theft. Taking the matter seriously, the court summoned the police. CCTV footage revealed five individuals in an SUV (Mahindra Bolero) and a multi-axle truck entering the court premises around 1 am on July 8. By 2 am, they had loaded the excavator onto the truck and left.
Investigations by the Halasuru Gate police indicated that someone familiar with Govindaraju’s excavator deployment was involved. Upon further questioning, Govindaraju disclosed that he owed Rs 3 lakh to Sachidananda Gouda, a resident of Hebbal and that a case regarding the debt was pending in court.
Police tracked Sachidananda’s phone, confirming his presence at the court during the incident, and noted his phone was later switched off. CCTV analysis from other locations led them to Sachidananda and an accomplice, Velu, at a hotel in Jigani on the night of July 12. Both were arrested.
Sachidananda, who also owned excavators, had known Govindaraju for almost six years. He had already negotiated to sell the stolen excavator. The vehicle was recovered from a godown. A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)-2023, section 303 (2) – theft. The two arrested suspects are in judicial custody, and a search is ongoing for the remaining three suspects.